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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: present · perch · capital · scale · press · club · tear · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. capital — money
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. present — the time now
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. perch — the fish
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. present — a gift
  15. tear — from crying
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. present — there
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. club — for dancing
  20. capital — a city
  21. press — to push
  22. scale — in music
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. temple — a place of worship

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