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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
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 · mine · cold · can · tear · wake · bass · wave

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bass — low music
  14. content — the amount
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. content — happy
  17. tear — from crying
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bass — the instrument

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