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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 · drill · wound · face · bulb · date · cell · bank

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wound — an injury
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cell — in biology
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. face — to confront
  8. wound — an injury
  9. drill — the tool
  10. content — happy
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bank — of a river
  13. face — to point toward
  14. date — the fruit
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bank — for money
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. content — the amount
  20. bank — for money
  21. drill — army training
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cell — in a prison

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