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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: season · content · bass · staff · rock · pitcher · mine · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bass — the fish
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. content — the amount
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. season — in sport
  11. content — happy
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. staff — employees
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rock — a stone
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. season — of the year
  24. tear — from crying

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