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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: current · wave · temple · wound · trunk · bass · pound · content

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — happy
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bass — low music
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bass — the fish
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. content — the amount
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. current — of water
  23. wound — an injury
  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