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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: mug · wax · rule · mate · content · file · pound · cabinet

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mate — a partner
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rule — government
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pound — a weight
  13. content — happy
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. content — the amount
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rule — a law
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mug — a face
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pound — to hit hard

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