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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: content · spell · bulb · nail · fork · game · wind · bass

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bass — low music
  6. spell — a short time
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. content — the amount
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spell — magic
  14. game — a match
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spell — letters
  23. content — happy
  24. bulb — for light

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