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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 120 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: spell · wake · scale · drill · stand · stick · chair · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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 — the amount
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. spell — letters
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. scale — in music
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. content — happy
  14. stand — to bear
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. spell — magic
  19. chair — a leader
  20. drill — a practice
  21. scale — size or range
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. drill — army training

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