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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: temple · press · fan · stem · row · bay · safe · present

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. present — the time now
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. row — a line
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. press — a publisher
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. press — to push
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. press — newspapers
  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