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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.

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: press · tear · fall · mine · temple · mug · pitcher · pass

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mine — for digging
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. press — to push
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mug — a cup
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mug — a face
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mug — to rob
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fall — the season
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pass — to spend time

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