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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 120 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: bay · leaves · mate · spring · temple · snap · press · rule

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. spring — of water
  3. snap — to click
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rule — a law
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rule — government
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. press — to push
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mate — a partner
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. mate — a friend
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spring — the season
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. press — newspapers
  24. spring — a coil

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