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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: can · press · kick · hide · stem · wave · temple · kid

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stem — to come from
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. press — to push
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kick — in football
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. press — newspapers
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. can — a tin
  21. press — a publisher
  22. kid — child
  23. can — a tin
  24. temple — side of the head

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