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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: tube · row · spell · bay · net · rush · pound · ground

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. spell — a short time
  8. tube — the underground
  9. spell — letters
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. net — in sport
  12. rush — hurry
  13. tube — a container
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. net — for catching
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. ground — a position
  21. net — after costs
  22. ground — crushed
  23. spell — magic
  24. row — to paddle

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