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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: clip · press · coach · march · wax · spring · temple · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. press — newspapers
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spring — the season
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. press — a publisher
  8. clip — a video
  9. press — to push
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. march — the month
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. march — the month
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spring — a coil
  18. march — music
  19. spring — of water
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. clip — to cut
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. clip — for paper
  24. temple — a place of worship

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