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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: content · wound · bulb · snap · fall · ground · drill · land

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. land — a country
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fall — to drop
  12. content — the amount
  13. fall — the season
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ground — a position
  16. snap — to click
  17. land — ground
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. land — to come down
  22. drill — army training
  23. bulb — for light
  24. content — happy

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