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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: roll · season · pound · nail · staff · bowl · wind · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. roll — a cake
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wind — moving air
  10. season — in sport
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. staff — employees
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. season — of the year
  18. staff — employees
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. roll — a list
  22. pound — a weight
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wind — to turn a key

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