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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: cold · snap · wound · temple · last · net · can · press

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. last — to go on
  4. net — in sport
  5. snap — to click
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — for catching
  8. can — to be able to
  9. net — after costs
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — final
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. last — finally
  14. cold — an illness
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. wound — an injury
  19. can — a tin
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. press — newspapers
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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