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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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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: press · scale · stick · temple · roll · ball · tear · wound

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ball — a dance
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. ball — a great time
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wound — an injury
  16. press — to push
  17. wound — an injury
  18. roll — a cake
  19. tear — from crying
  20. scale — in music
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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