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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: season · stem · bound · temple · leaves · press · pop · tear

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pop — to visit
  3. season — in sport
  4. pop — music
  5. stem — to come from
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. tear — from crying
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. press — to push
  12. bound — certain
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bound — tied together
  15. tear — to rip
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. press — newspapers
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. season — of the year
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pop — soda
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stem — a stem cell

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