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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.

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: content · spring · bass · wound · rule · spell · safe · stock

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bass — the fish
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stock — shares
  7. spring — of water
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. spell — a short time
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spell — letters
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bass — low music
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rule — government
  20. spring — the season
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. rule — a law

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