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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. content — happy
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. press — a publisher
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fine — high quality
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. press — to push
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. fine — all right
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fall — to drop
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. content — the amount
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. degree — from a university
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fall — the season

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