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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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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. degree — an amount
  8. content — happy
  9. chip — to eat
  10. suit — to fit
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. file — a document
  14. wax — to grow
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. degree — temperature
  19. suit — in cards
  20. chip — for betting
  21. file — a tool
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. content — the amount
  24. suit — clothes

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