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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
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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: ball · cabinet · can · tear · content · stem · file · bass

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ball — a great time
  4. content — the amount
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. file — a document
  10. bass — low music
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. can — a tin
  17. ball — a dance
  18. content — happy
  19. can — a tin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. file — a tool

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