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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.

Make a worksheet

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

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rest — what's left
  4. content — happy
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. content — the amount
  8. stem — to come from
  9. drill — army training
  10. press — to push
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rest — a break
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. temple — side of the head

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