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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: temple · lie · capital · press · ruler · prune · tear · chair

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. capital — a city
  5. tear — from crying
  6. capital — money
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — to push
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. press — a publisher

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