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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fall — to drop
  3. content — the amount
  4. bulb — for light
  5. press — to push
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fall — the season
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bulb — for light
  12. content — happy
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. branch — a division
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cell — in biology
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cell — a phone

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