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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 · wound · hide · mark · drill · ground · degree · content

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. ground — a position
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. content — the amount
  5. wound — an injury
  6. drill — the tool
  7. spell — magic
  8. ground — the earth
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wound — an injury
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spell — a short time
  16. degree — an amount
  17. drill — army training
  18. content — happy
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spell — letters
  21. degree — from a university
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ground — crushed
  24. hide — to keep secret

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