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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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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: face · temple · calf · march · ground · press

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. press — to push
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. march — music
  5. ground — the earth
  6. face — to point toward
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. face — to confront
  13. ground — a position
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. face — part of the head
  16. march — the month
  17. ground — crushed
  18. march — the month

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