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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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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: pound · can · press · scale · cell · racket · content · fall

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pound — a weight
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fall — the season
  7. content — happy
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. scale — size or range
  12. can — a tin
  13. cell — in biology
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. can — a tin
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. press — newspapers
  18. content — the amount
  19. press — to push
  20. scale — in music
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pound — for dogs

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