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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wake — a trail
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. press — newspapers
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. tear — to rip
  11. press — to push
  12. spring — the season
  13. tear — from crying
  14. sharp — clever
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. roll — a cake
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spring — of water
  21. tear — from crying
  22. roll — a list
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. sharp — exactly

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