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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · temple · fan · staff · cell · date · tube

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. drill — army training
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cell — in biology
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. staff — a stick
  7. tube — a container
  8. staff — employees
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cell — a phone
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. tube — the underground
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. staff — employees
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. content — happy
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cell — in a prison
  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