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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: drill · root · craft · temple · content · club · bound · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. object — a thing
  2. club — for golf
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. root — of a plant
  5. object — to protest
  6. craft — a skill
  7. root — of a word
  8. drill — army training
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bound — obliged
  11. root — the cause
  12. bound — tied together
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bound — certain
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. club — for dancing
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. object — an aim
  19. club — a group
  20. drill — the tool
  21. content — happy
  22. craft — boats
  23. drill — a practice
  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