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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.

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: stick · content · can · field · cap · band · press · wax

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. content — the amount
  3. can — a tin
  4. field — farmland
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cap — a lid
  7. field — for sport
  8. press — to push
  9. band — a ring
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. press — newspapers
  16. can — to be able to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. band — a music group
  19. press — a publisher
  20. content — happy
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. field — a subject
  24. can — a tin

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