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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. file — a document
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pop — soda
  7. bulb — for light
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. content — happy
  10. drill — the tool
  11. file — a tool
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bulb — for light
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cap — a hat
  16. content — the amount
  17. drill — army training
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pop — music
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ground — the earth
  22. branch — a division
  23. drill — a practice
  24. ground — a position

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