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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: roll · drill · pass · stick · bound · hand · cold · tube

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tube — a container
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. roll — a cake
  7. drill — army training
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cold — an illness
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pass — a permit
  20. hand — help
  21. bound — obliged
  22. roll — a list
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bound — certain

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