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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: press · temple · rash · arm · pop · bound · jam · scale

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. 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. pop — soda
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rash — hasty
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bound — tied together
  7. press — a publisher
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bound — certain
  16. press — to push
  17. pop — music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bound — obliged
  21. scale — in music
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. 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