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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 120 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: content · tear · mouse · cell · mug · file · bass · stand

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. content — the amount
  3. mug — a face
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. file — a document
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. file — a tool
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. content — happy
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cell — a phone

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