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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · hide · spell · kid · tube · bass · wound · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spell — letters
  5. present — the time now
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bass — low music
  8. content — the amount
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. spell — magic
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. spell — a short time
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bass — the fish
  20. content — happy
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. present — a gift

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