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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · chair · drill · shower · lean · season · stock · ground

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. spell — magic
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. ground — a position
  6. season — in sport
  7. shower — rain
  8. stock — goods
  9. lean — thin
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. drill — army training
  12. spell — letters
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. spell — a short time
  22. shower — to wash
  23. season — of the year
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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