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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. field — a subject
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. season — of the year
  8. press — to push
  9. field — for sport
  10. season — in sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. content — happy
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cue — for pool
  15. content — the amount
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cue — a hint
  18. press — newspapers
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cue — a signal
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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