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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: pop · press · tube · kick · roll · staff · bowl · saw

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pop — to visit
  5. staff — a stick
  6. press — to push
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. roll — a list
  11. tube — a container
  12. press — a publisher
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pop — soda
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kick — in football
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. staff — employees
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pop — music
  23. staff — employees
  24. tube — the underground

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