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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: face · leaves · cell · bass · content · wound · bear · tube

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bear — the animal
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. tube — a container
  10. cell — in biology
  11. content — the amount
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. face — to confront
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wound — an injury
  18. face — to point toward
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bass — low music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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