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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 · content · spring · tube · safe · shower · stock · drill

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. spell — magic
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. spring — a coil
  8. shower — rain
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stock — shares
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. tube — the underground
  13. content — happy
  14. stock — goods
  15. spring — the season
  16. drill — army training
  17. tube — a container
  18. spring — of water
  19. drill — a practice
  20. shower — to wash
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. content — the amount
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. spell — letters

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