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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: lean · prune · press · temple · cold · nail · saw · mark

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. press — a publisher
  3. prune — to trim
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. press — newspapers
  6. saw — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mark — a grade
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mark — a trace
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lean — to bend
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. saw — the tool
  21. press — to push
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. temple — side of the head

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