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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · press · cold · bore · firm · temple · march · bass

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bore — to tire
  6. press — a publisher
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — a company
  12. cold — not warm
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. march — the month
  18. cold — an illness
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. march — music
  21. press — to push
  22. bass — low music
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — the fish

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