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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. press — to push
  6. content — the amount
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stock — goods
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stock — shares
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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