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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. foot — a measure
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. suit — to fit
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. suit — in cards
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stem — to come from
  20. press — to push
  21. content — the amount
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. suit — clothes
  24. squash — to crush

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