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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: ground · coach · shower · spell · wave · game · can · content

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — a position
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. shower — rain
  9. spell — a short time
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ground — the earth
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. game — a match
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spell — magic
  20. shower — to wash
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ground — crushed
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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