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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: stock · tube · mine · drill · spell · mate · deal · chair

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. spell — magic
  3. mate — to breed
  4. deal — to handle
  5. tube — a container
  6. chair — a leader
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mate — a friend
  11. drill — a practice
  12. spell — letters
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stock — goods
  15. drill — army training
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mine — for digging
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stock — shares
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. tube — in a tire

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