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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: stick · capital · mine · press · race · current · tear · temple

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. race — the arms race
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. race — humankind
  5. capital — money
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. capital — a city
  8. mine — for digging
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. current — of water
  12. tear — from crying
  13. current — electric
  14. press — to push
  15. current — happening now
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. race — a contest
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. press — newspapers
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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