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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: tear · net · content · bass · rash · perch · cue · temple

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cue — a hint
  9. net — after costs
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. perch — the fish
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cue — for pool
  21. content — happy
  22. rash — a series
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. temple — side of the head

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