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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: fall · land · press · temple · pound · date · bay · tear

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. tear — to rip
  3. press — newspapers
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. pound — a weight
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. date — the fruit
  12. land — a country
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fall — to drop
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — ground
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. press — to push
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. land — to come down
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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