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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. can — a tin
  5. press — to push
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. press — a publisher
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. content — the amount
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. content — happy
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. prune — to trim
  19. can — a tin
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cell — in biology
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fan — a supporter

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