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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
468
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: staff · rush · bowl · content · drill · net · spring · fan

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. spring — of water
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. staff — a stick
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. net — in sport
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. content — happy
  14. rush — hurry
  15. net — for catching
  16. staff — employees
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spring — the season
  20. content — the amount
  21. staff — employees
  22. net — after costs
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. drill — army training

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