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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 120 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 · wake · bulb · saw · temple · bound · ground · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bound — obliged
  3. press — to push
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bound — certain
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wake — a trail
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ground — crushed
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fall — the season
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. temple — side of the head

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