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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: track · pound · press · temple · rest · stem

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. rest — a break
  3. track — a song
  4. press — to push
  5. stem — to come from
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pound — a weight
  12. track — a path
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. temple — side of the head
  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