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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 · tube · tear · court · wave · content · object · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. tear — from crying
  3. object — an aim
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tear — from crying
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ground — crushed
  9. tube — a container
  10. object — to protest
  11. ground — the earth
  12. court — for sport
  13. content — the amount
  14. object — a thing
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. tube — the underground
  20. ground — a position
  21. court — of a king
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. court — of law
  24. content — happy

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