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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: mark · ruler · bear · prune · temple · clip · press · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. last — final
  4. press — a publisher
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. clip — a video
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mark — a trace
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bear — the animal
  13. press — to push
  14. clip — for paper
  15. press — newspapers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — to go on
  18. mark — a grade
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. prune — to trim
  24. temple — side of the head

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