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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: bass · mouse · cell · rash · fork · wave · content · march

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. content — the amount
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. march — the month
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bass — low music
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rash — hasty
  18. content — happy
  19. rash — a series
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bass — the fish
  24. content — videos and posts

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