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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cue · bark · wave · bass · mouse · land · cold · content

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. land — ground
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. land — to come down
  24. cue — for pool

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