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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: mate · content · bound · bass · row · roll · tube · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. content — happy
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. content — the amount
  6. mate — a friend
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. roll — a list
  9. tube — a container
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ground — a position
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ground — crushed
  14. row — a line
  15. bound — certain
  16. bass — low music
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mate — to breed
  19. roll — a cake
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. tube — the underground

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