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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: cell · craft · bulb · drill · roll · fan · wake · bound

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bulb — for light
  8. craft — boats
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cell — a phone
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bound — certain
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bound — tied together
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. craft — a skill
  24. drill — the tool

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