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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bass — low music
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. spring — of water
  6. bound — obliged
  7. season — in sport
  8. spring — the season
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a ring
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. band — a music group
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. content — the amount
  19. can — to be able to
  20. content — happy
  21. can — a tin
  22. season — of the year
  23. bound — certain
  24. season — to add flavour

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