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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. present — a gift
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chest — of your body
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. present — the time now
  11. press — to push
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. present — there
  15. club — for dancing
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. club — for golf
  19. chest — a box
  20. club — a group
  21. chest — of your body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mark — a grade
  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