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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: roll · squash · pound · chest · fall · bowl · bore · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. chest — a box
  7. roll — a cake
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fall — the season
  10. chest — of your body
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bore — to tire
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. roll — a list
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bore — gave birth

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