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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.

Words on the sheet
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: spell · tube · toast · spring · content · drill · staff · land

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. drill — the tool
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. tube — a container
  6. land — ground
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. drill — a practice
  9. tube — the underground
  10. spring — a coil
  11. drill — army training
  12. spring — the season
  13. content — happy
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. spell — letters
  17. staff — employees
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. land — a country
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spring — of water
  23. spell — a short time
  24. land — to come down

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