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

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bank — for money
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bank — of a river
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. fork — in a road
  8. tube — a container
  9. bank — for money
  10. content — the amount
  11. stand — to bear
  12. ball — a great time
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. spring — of water
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. drill — army training
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. tube — the underground
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. spring — the season
  24. drill — a practice

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