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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 120 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: track · pound · press · temple · rest · stem · mug · tear

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. press — to push
  3. mug — to rob
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rest — a break
  11. track — to keep track
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. track — a song
  17. press — a publisher
  18. track — a path
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stem — to come from
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rest — what's left
  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