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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
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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: content · wound · mine · squash · wax · chip · key · date

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. date — the fruit
  3. key — the most important part
  4. content — the amount
  5. squash — to crush
  6. key — in music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. content — happy
  14. chip — for betting
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wound — an injury
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. key — for a lock

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