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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: kick · snap · wound · bay · press · hide · temple · tear

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. tear — to rip
  6. press — newspapers
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. press — to push
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. snap — to click
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wound — an injury

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