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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: mark · cap · stem · wake · press · content · chest · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cap — a hat
  6. press — to push
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. content — happy
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. press — newspapers
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stem — to come from
  23. chest — a box
  24. press — a publisher

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