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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. field — a subject
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. field — for sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. field — farmland
  9. bound — certain
  10. band — a music group
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. content — happy
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bass — low music
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. band — a ring
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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