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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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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: spell · suit · tube · net · mate · kid · bore · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. spell — magic
  3. suit — clothes
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kid — child
  7. spell — a short time
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mate — to breed
  11. land — a country
  12. net — for catching
  13. mate — a friend
  14. tube — a container
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. net — in sport
  19. land — ground
  20. suit — to fit
  21. net — after costs
  22. tube — the underground
  23. spell — letters
  24. kid — to tease

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