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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. content — the amount
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mug — a face
  11. fine — all right
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cap — a hat
  22. content — happy
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mug — a cup

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