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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: content · stem · bulb · object · track · press · prune · field

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. field — farmland
  3. prune — to trim
  4. track — a song
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stem — to come from
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. bulb — for light
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. field — a subject
  16. object — an aim
  17. field — for sport
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. press — newspapers
  21. track — a path
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. bulb — of a plant

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