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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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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. roll — a cake
  3. staff — employees
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bass — low music
  6. staff — a stick
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. roll — a list
  9. bound — certain
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. tear — to rip
  12. staff — employees
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. content — happy
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bound — tied together
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stand — to bear

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