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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 · stem · dip · temple · last · chair · mark · rest

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mark — a grade
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. last — to go on
  11. rest — a break
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. last — final
  14. mark — a trace
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. press — to push
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. last — finally
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. chair — a leader

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