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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — clothes
  3. press — to push
  4. row — a line
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. suit — to fit
  8. content — happy
  9. row — to paddle
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. tube — a container
  12. content — the amount
  13. tube — the underground
  14. snap — to click
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. press — newspapers
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. press — a publisher
  24. patient — a sick person

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