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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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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: calf · stand · press · cell · wake · content · degree · prune

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. degree — from a university
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. prune — to trim
  13. content — the amount
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cell — a phone
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. press — to push
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. degree — an amount
  24. content — happy

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