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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bank — for money
  3. spring — the season
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. drill — a practice
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bank — for money
  9. land — a country
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. land — ground
  14. spring — of water
  15. land — to come down
  16. plane — a tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. content — the amount
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. content — happy

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