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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: face · press · ground · temple · board · stem · content · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rush — hurry
  4. content — happy
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. board — to get on
  7. face — to confront
  8. stem — to come from
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ground — crushed
  12. board — a committee
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. content — the amount
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. ground — a position
  24. face — part 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