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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. stem — to come from
  3. press — a publisher
  4. field — for sport
  5. craft — boats
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. press — to push
  8. field — farmland
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. content — happy
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. content — the amount
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. press — newspapers
  23. field — a subject
  24. mouse — for a computer

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