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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · drill · firm · tube · spell · spring · kid · cold

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cold — not warm
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cold — an illness
  5. spell — magic
  6. drill — army training
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mark — a trace
  9. kid — to tease
  10. spring — a coil
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. spring — the season
  14. firm — a company
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. spring — of water
  17. spell — letters
  18. kid — child
  19. firm — decided
  20. mark — a grade
  21. spell — a short time
  22. firm — steady
  23. tube — a container
  24. mark — to pay attention

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