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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: bark · content · bass · pitcher · cell · can · mine · cue

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — happy
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cell — a phone
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — the amount
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cue — a signal
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cue — a hint
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. can — a tin
  24. bass — low music

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