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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 116 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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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: fine · content · pound · ball · staff · shower · spring · bulb

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — high quality
  3. content — the amount
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — the season
  6. ball — a dance
  7. shower — rain
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ball — a great time
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. shower — to wash
  14. staff — a stick
  15. content — happy
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. staff — employees
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. fine — all right
  24. bulb — of a plant

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