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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: mine · pop · row · ground · lean · roll · drill · saw

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pop — music
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. saw — the tool
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — a list
  11. row — a line
  12. drill — army training
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pop — soda
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mine — for digging
  23. drill — a practice
  24. saw — the tool

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