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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pop — music
  4. press — newspapers
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. can — a tin
  9. race — the arms race
  10. press — to push
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. race — a contest
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pop — soda
  15. content — the amount
  16. track — a song
  17. press — a publisher
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. can — to be able to
  20. race — humankind
  21. branch — a division
  22. can — a tin
  23. pop — to visit
  24. trunk — of a tree

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