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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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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: prune · press · temple · net · bound · object · patient · mug

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  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 — newspapers
  2. object — a thing
  3. mug — a cup
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mug — a face
  7. press — a publisher
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. press — to push
  10. net — after costs
  11. bound — certain
  12. mug — to rob
  13. net — for catching
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. net — in sport
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  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