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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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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: tear · lean · press · dip · mark · fork · temple · fall

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mark — a grade
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. fall — the season
  5. press — to push
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tear — to rip
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. tear — from crying
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mark — a trace
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — to drop
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. dip — to sink
  23. fork — in a road
  24. dip — to dunk

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