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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.

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: leaves · deal · mark · rush · press · capital · fall · temple

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. press — a publisher
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fall — to drop
  11. press — to push
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. rush — hurry
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fall — the season
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. press — newspapers
  24. leaves — lets stay

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