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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: spring · wake · fall · object · cell · content · bass · mug

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cell — a phone
  4. spring — the season
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bass — the fish
  8. content — happy
  9. bass — low music
  10. content — the amount
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fall — the season
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spring — of water
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mug — a face

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