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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. field — farmland
  7. content — the amount
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. field — a subject
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cold — an illness
  17. prune — to trim
  18. content — happy
  19. field — for sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. press — a publisher
  24. prune — to trim

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