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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: lean · bass · bark · press · wound · temple · content · stand

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lean — to bend
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bass — low music
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. content — happy
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bark — to shout
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. stand — to bear
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lean — thin
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wound — an injury

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