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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 120 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: object · vault · cabinet · rash · cell · content · march · bulb

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. object — a thing
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cell — in biology
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. object — to protest
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. march — the month
  14. object — an aim
  15. march — the month
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rash — a series
  21. march — music
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. content — the amount

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