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

Word bank: drill · cap · sharp · bulb · last · vault · content · branch

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. sharp — with an edge
  2. bulb — for light
  3. vault — a safe
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. last — final
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. drill — a practice
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. last — finally
  17. content — happy
  18. last — to go on
  19. branch — a division
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cap — a hat
  22. sharp — clever
  23. drill — army training
  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