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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: lean · band · wound · stick · drill · chair · roll · can

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. roll — a list
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. can — a tin
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — a leader
  10. can — to be able to
  11. roll — a cake
  12. lean — to bend
  13. band — a music group
  14. lean — thin
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a ring
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. drill — army training
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. drill — the tool
  24. chair — a professorship

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