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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: temple · stem · foot · sharp · spring · press · perch · roll

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. press — to push
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. stem — to come from
  5. roll — a cake
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. spring — a coil
  13. roll — a list
  14. sharp — clever
  15. spring — of water
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. press — newspapers
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. press — a publisher
  22. spring — the season
  23. foot — a measure
  24. perch — the fish

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