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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. can — to be able to
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. tube — the underground
  8. content — the amount
  9. kid — child
  10. can — a tin
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bat — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. tube — a container
  17. press — newspapers
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fall — the season
  20. press — a publisher
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kid — to tease
  24. branch — a division

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