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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: ground · fan · can · temple · content · bowl · drill · lie

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. can — to be able to
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. ground — a position
  8. can — a tin
  9. drill — army training
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. content — happy
  14. can — a tin
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ground — crushed
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bowl — to roll

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