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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: fall · can · face · bulb · vault · cell · sharp · drill

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. fall — the season
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. can — a tin
  6. cell — in biology
  7. can — a tin
  8. drill — the tool
  9. face — to confront
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bulb — for light
  16. vault — a safe
  17. face — part of the head
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. drill — army training
  22. bulb — for light
  23. sharp — clever
  24. fall — to drop

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