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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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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: land · spell · tube · trunk · content · stock · race · club

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. club — for dancing
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. tube — a container
  5. spell — magic
  6. land — ground
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. race — a contest
  9. content — the amount
  10. race — the arms race
  11. tube — the underground
  12. club — a group
  13. land — a country
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. content — happy
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stock — goods
  18. land — to come down
  19. stock — shares
  20. race — humankind
  21. club — for golf
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. spell — letters
  24. content — videos and posts

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