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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: kick · press · wound · temple · lean · bat · mouse · deal

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lean — to bend
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bat — the animal
  13. kick — in football
  14. wound — an injury
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. press — a publisher
  18. lean — thin
  19. deal — to handle
  20. press — to push
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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