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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: temple · press · calf · season · fall · stem · land · lie

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. land — a country
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. land — to come down
  6. season — in sport
  7. press — to push
  8. fall — the season
  9. season — of the year
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stem — to come from
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. press — a publisher
  19. fall — to drop
  20. press — newspapers
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lie — to recline
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. land — ground

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