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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.

Make a worksheet

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: tube · content · perch · spring · lie · press · arm · field

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. spring — the season
  4. tube — a container
  5. press — to push
  6. content — the amount
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. content — happy
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. lie — to recline
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. field — a subject
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lie — an untruth

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