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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.

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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: press · content · wind · capital · row · temple

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. press — newspapers
  3. capital — money
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. content — the amount
  6. row — to paddle
  7. press — a publisher
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wind — moving air
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. content — happy
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. capital — a city
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. row — a line
  16. press — to push
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wind — to turn a key

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