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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: spell · spring · rash · club · tube · present · wound · firm

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. spring — the season
  5. firm — decided
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. present — the time now
  8. rash — hasty
  9. club — for golf
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — steady
  14. present — a gift
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spring — of water
  20. rash — a series
  21. tube — the underground
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — a group

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