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

Word bank: content · temple · bank · press · mark · key

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — the amount
  5. key — for a lock
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mark — a grade
  8. press — to push
  9. bank — of a river
  10. content — happy
  11. bank — for money
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bank — for money
  18. press — newspapers

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