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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. band — a ring
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ground — crushed
  6. press — a publisher
  7. band — a music group
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. object — an aim
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. press — newspapers
  13. ground — a position
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. object — a thing
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. object — to protest
  22. press — to push
  23. wind — moving air
  24. temple — a place of worship

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