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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.

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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: fall · drill · lean · band · spell · craft · fork · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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. band — a rubber band
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lean — thin
  7. craft — a skill
  8. tube — a container
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. lean — to bend
  11. drill — army training
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fall — to drop
  14. band — a music group
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. band — a ring
  18. drill — the tool
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. spell — a short time
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spell — letters
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. craft — boats

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