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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.

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: press · mine · mate · temple · kick · prune · bore · lean

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lean — to bend
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bore — to tire
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mate — a friend
  9. prune — to trim
  10. press — newspapers
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mate — to breed
  13. press — a publisher
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bore — to drill
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mate — a partner
  22. press — to push
  23. mine — for digging
  24. kick — in football

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