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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: content · stem · wave · bound · board · stick · shower · bass

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bass — low music
  3. bound — obliged
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bound — tied together
  15. board — to get on
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bound — certain
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. shower — rain

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