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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. press — a publisher
  3. root — of a plant
  4. file — a document
  5. lean — to bend
  6. perch — the fish
  7. file — a line of people
  8. root — the cause
  9. saw — the tool
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. saw — the tool
  12. root — of a word
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bat — the animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. file — a tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. temple — a place of worship

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