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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: mark · spring · tube · rock · lean · content · pitch · drill

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rock — music
  3. tube — a container
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lean — thin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. content — the amount
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mark — a trace
  16. drill — army training
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mark — a grade
  22. content — happy
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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