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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · content · press · tube · field · rash · lean · cabinet

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — a series
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. content — the amount
  8. press — a publisher
  9. field — for sport
  10. rash — hasty
  11. lean — thin
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — a container
  15. content — happy
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. can — a tin
  19. field — a subject
  20. press — to push
  21. field — farmland
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lean — to bend
  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