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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · bore · stem · game · ground · tube · spell · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bore — to tire
  3. ground — crushed
  4. track — a song
  5. bore — to drill
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. track — to keep track
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fine — high quality
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. tube — a container
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ground — a position
  18. stem — to come from
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. track — a path
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. game — a match
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. tube — the underground

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