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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: stem · game · file · content · date · stick · rush · bay

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rush — hurry
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stem — to come from
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. file — a document
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. content — the amount
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. game — a match

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