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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: row · pit · press · wound · content · temple · rash · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rash — a series
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bank — of a river
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pit — a hole
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bank — for money
  10. wound — an injury
  11. content — happy
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pit — in a race
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. row — a line
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. content — the amount
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. row — to paddle
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. press — to push

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