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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: press · mouse · court · lean · temple · cap · tear · bass

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cap — of ice
  5. tear — from crying
  6. press — to push
  7. bass — low music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cap — a lid
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bass — the fish
  13. court — of law
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. court — of a king
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cap — a hat
  23. court — for sport
  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