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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: wind · pound · roll · content · key · drill · sharp · band

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. roll — on a roll
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. drill — the tool
  8. content — happy
  9. wind — moving air
  10. key — in music
  11. band — a music group
  12. drill — army training
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. key — the most important part
  15. roll — a list
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wind — moving air
  19. sharp — clever
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. roll — a cake
  22. content — the amount
  23. drill — a practice
  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