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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.

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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: tear · stem · temple · press · wind · pop · bay · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pop — music
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. press — to push
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pop — soda
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wind — moving air
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pop — to visit
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tear — from crying

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