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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: content · date · stock · cue · bank · spring · mate · wax

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stock — shares
  5. wax — to grow
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spring — a coil
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bank — for money
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bank — of a river
  16. content — the amount
  17. spring — of water
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bank — for money
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mate — a partner

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