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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: drill · stock · spring · court · bass · squash · tube · dip

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. squash — the sport
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spring — a coil
  12. court — of law
  13. stock — goods
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stock — shares
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bass — the fish
  19. court — of a king
  20. tube — the underground
  21. court — for sport
  22. tube — a container
  23. drill — a practice
  24. dip — to sink

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