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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: bowl · band · lean · straw · row · game · pop · jam

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. row — to paddle
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. band — a ring
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pop — to visit
  8. lean — thin
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. band — a music group
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pop — music
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — to bend
  21. game — a match
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. row — a line
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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