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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. hand — help
  5. stock — goods
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. content — happy
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ball — a great time
  13. perch — the fish
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. content — the amount
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stem — to come from
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stock — shares
  24. press — newspapers

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