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

Word bank: content · press · last · trunk · firm · stock · wax · chip

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. last — final
  4. content — happy
  5. firm — a company
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chip — to eat
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. firm — decided
  15. press — to push
  16. wax — to grow
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. content — the amount
  19. firm — steady
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. last — finally
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. last — to go on
  24. chip — for betting

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