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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 120 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: stem · content · spring · drill · rock · safe · calf · hand

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. content — happy
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. hand — help
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. drill — army training
  24. safe — out of danger

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