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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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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: wind · pass · chest · plane · lie · temple · mug · press

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. press — to push
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mug — a cup
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mug — to rob
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. plane — a tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mug — a face
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chest — a box
  24. plane — in geometry

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