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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: rush · content · date · wax · club · hide · stem · spell

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wax — to grow
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — letters
  6. club — for golf
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. content — happy
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spell — a short time
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. club — a group
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. date — the fruit
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. spell — magic
  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