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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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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: squash · straw · press · sharp · stem · patient · temple · pop

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pop — soda
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. squash — the sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. sharp — clever
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pop — to visit
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stem — to come from
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. press — to push
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pop — music
  24. straw — dry grass

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