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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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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 · temple · net · mark · stem · game · scale · wake

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. net — after costs
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. scale — in music
  11. net — in sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. scale — size or range
  19. net — for catching
  20. press — newspapers
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. game — a match
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stem — of a plant

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