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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · wax · press · wound · content · track · patient · cell

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. track — a path
  4. content — the amount
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — a song
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stem — to come from
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wax — to grow
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. content — happy
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. press — to push
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. content — videos and posts

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