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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: dip · content · drill · spring · staff · straw · band · wound

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. staff — a stick
  5. drill — army training
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. drill — the tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. spring — of water
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. band — a ring
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. content — happy
  18. spring — the season
  19. content — the amount
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. spring — a coil
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wound — an injury
  24. staff — employees

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