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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: drill · stem · wind · cue · net · pop · swing · roll

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cue — for pool
  3. drill — army training
  4. swing — to play on
  5. roll — a cake
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cue — a signal
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. roll — a list
  13. wind — moving air
  14. net — in sport
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pop — music
  17. cue — a hint
  18. swing — music
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pop — to visit
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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