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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 116 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: ground · nail · mark · content · stem · fan · bound · drill

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. drill — army training
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. drill — a practice
  5. content — happy
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bound — certain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ground — the earth
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ground — a position
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mark — a trace
  19. content — the amount
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stem — to come from
  24. nail — for a hammer

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