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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: wound · cue · temple · press · rash · swing · lean · mug

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cue — a hint
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. lean — to bend
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mug — a cup
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wound — an injury
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mug — a face
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lean — thin
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. swing — music
  23. rash — a series
  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