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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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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: ground · content · can · wave · mine · tube · calf · branch

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ground — the earth
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. content — the amount
  14. mine — for digging
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ground — a position
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. tube — a container
  23. branch — a division
  24. calf — a young animal

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