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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: spring · drill · cold · kid · safe · wave · board · spell

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. spring — of water
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spring — the season
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. kid — to tease
  7. drill — a practice
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spell — magic
  10. board — a committee
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spell — letters
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. kid — child
  21. board — to get on
  22. cold — not warm
  23. spell — a short time
  24. drill — the tool

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