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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · bore · rush · pop · pound · roll · march · face

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. spell — letters
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bore — to drill
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bore — to tire
  9. roll — a list
  10. pound — a weight
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pop — soda
  14. march — the month
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. face — to confront
  19. spell — magic
  20. march — music
  21. roll — a cake
  22. pop — music
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com