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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: content · season · bass · bound · bank · chip · tube · fall

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bound — certain
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bank — for money
  5. season — of the year
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bass — low music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. content — the amount
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bank — for money
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. tube — a container
  15. season — in sport
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bank — of a river
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. tube — the underground
  23. content — happy
  24. fall — the season

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