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

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. tube — a container
  4. court — for sport
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. tube — the underground
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bank — for money
  10. fine — all right
  11. court — of a king
  12. root — the cause
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. court — of law
  15. root — of a word
  16. bore — to tire
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. fine — high quality
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bank — for money
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bank — of a river

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