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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 116 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. content — the amount
  5. press — to push
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cell — a phone
  9. press — a publisher
  10. prune — to trim
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. scale — in music
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lean — thin
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. prune — to trim
  20. dip — to sink
  21. content — happy
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cell — in biology

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