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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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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: temple · court · wax · pitch · pit · branch · drill · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — of law
  4. drill — army training
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. court — of a king
  8. drill — the tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. pit — in a race
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. press — a publisher
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. press — newspapers
  20. drill — a practice
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. branch — a division
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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