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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cue — a signal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — to come from
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cue — for pool
  18. rock — music
  19. content — happy
  20. rock — a stone
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. content — the amount

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