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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: pop · spell · stem · content · fan · present · drill · key

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. present — there
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. content — the amount
  6. present — a gift
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. key — for a lock
  11. stem — to come from
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. content — happy
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. drill — army training
  17. spell — letters
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. present — the time now
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pop — soda
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stem — a stem cell

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