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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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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 · staff · tear · net · wind · fall · bay · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. roll — a list
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tear — from crying
  7. staff — employees
  8. tear — to rip
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fall — the season
  15. staff — employees
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. tear — from crying
  22. net — in sport
  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