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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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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: stem · pit · bound · jam · temple · press · capital · rest

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. press — to push
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rest — a break
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bound — certain
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rest — what's left
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bound — tied together
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bound — obliged
  24. press — a publisher

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