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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 116 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 · object · bay · cold · wound · season · staff · tube

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. object — an aim
  4. cold — not warm
  5. season — in sport
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. staff — employees
  11. cold — an illness
  12. tube — the underground
  13. object — a thing
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. content — the amount
  18. tube — a container
  19. staff — employees
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. content — happy
  24. season — of the year

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