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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · content · file · mine · stem · chair · game · wave

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. content — happy
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. chair — a leader
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. content — the amount
  12. mine — for digging
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. game — a match
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stem — to come from

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