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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: stick · pitcher · tube · bore · spell · nail · hand · content

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. hand — in cards
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spell — letters
  5. bore — to tire
  6. spell — magic
  7. content — the amount
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spell — a short time
  12. content — happy
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tube — a container
  16. bore — to drill
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. hand — help
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. tube — in a tire

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