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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: ruler · degree · squash · date · file · stem · chip · pop

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. chip — to eat
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. degree — from a university
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. file — a document
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pop — soda
  11. chip — for betting
  12. degree — temperature
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. file — a tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stem — to come from
  19. squash — the sport
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pop — music
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pop — to visit

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