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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 · date · vault · craft · ground · fan · cell · drill

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. craft — a skill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. vault — a safe
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. drill — the tool
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. content — the amount
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. drill — army training
  16. cell — a phone
  17. date — the fruit
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. ground — a position
  20. craft — boats
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cell — in biology
  23. drill — a practice
  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