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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. file — a tool
  3. march — music
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. file — a document
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. content — happy
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cap — a hat
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. cap — a lid
  21. file — a line of people
  22. march — the month
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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