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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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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 · lash · temple · bowl · leaves · wind · chest · stock

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wind — moving air
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chest — a box
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stock — shares
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stock — goods
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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