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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: bank · spring · tube · saw · cell · roll · bore · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bank — for money
  5. cell — a phone
  6. spring — of water
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bore — to drill
  9. roll — a cake
  10. spring — the season
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bank — for money
  14. roll — a list
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. content — the amount
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. content — happy
  20. spring — a coil
  21. tube — a container
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cell — in a prison

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