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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · rash · mate · trunk · wound · temple · cue · press

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. rash — a series
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rash — hasty
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cue — a signal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mate — a partner
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wound — an injury
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — to breed
  18. press — to push
  19. cue — for pool
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. clip — a video
  23. mate — a friend
  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