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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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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: press · racket · fall · stem · content · arm · wind · drill

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. press — a publisher
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. press — to push
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. drill — army training
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stem — to come from
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. fall — the season
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. wind — moving air
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. drill — the tool
  22. content — happy
  23. fall — to drop
  24. drill — a practice

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