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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 · press · hand · march · tube · lie · fall · bear

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. march — the month
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lie — to recline
  6. press — a publisher
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — help
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. march — music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bear — the animal
  22. press — to push
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. tube — a container

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