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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: pop · stem · drill · wind · pound · saw · hide · file

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. drill — a practice
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pop — soda
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pop — music
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. saw — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. file — a document
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pound — a weight

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