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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · mate · temple · branch · can · mine · pass · lean

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. branch — a division
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mate — a partner
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pass — a permit
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. can — a tin
  14. mate — to breed
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. can — a tin
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mine — for digging
  19. press — to push
  20. lean — thin
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mate — a friend
  23. can — to be able to
  24. temple — side of the head

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