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

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. firm — decided
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. press — to push
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. firm — a company
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wound — an injury
  16. firm — steady
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. press — newspapers
  20. spring — the season
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — a coil
  24. press — a publisher

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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