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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. hand — help
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bank — of a river
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bank — for money
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. suit — to fit
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bank — for money
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. suit — in cards

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