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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: wax · land · deal · pop · pit · file · craft · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pop — music
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pit — in a race
  8. land — to come down
  9. content — happy
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wax — to grow
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. file — a tool
  14. land — a country
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. file — a document
  18. pit — a hole
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. land — ground
  21. pop — soda
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. craft — boats

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