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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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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: chest · tear · current · squash · cue · content · wave · track

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. track — to keep track
  6. chest — of your body
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. squash — to crush
  9. current — of water
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. track — a song
  12. current — electric
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — the sport
  17. content — the amount
  18. track — a path
  19. cue — for pool
  20. chest — a box
  21. content — happy
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chest — of your body

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