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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: wound · last · branch · tear · ground · press · hand · temple

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. branch — a division
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ground — a position
  8. hand — in cards
  9. last — to go on
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. press — to push
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tear — to rip
  14. last — finally
  15. ground — crushed
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. hand — help
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. ground — the earth
  21. tear — from crying
  22. last — final
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. branch — of a tree

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