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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. saw — the tool
  3. current — electric
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. staff — employees
  6. root — of a plant
  7. saw — the tool
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. root — the cause
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. court — for sport
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. root — of a word
  20. spring — a coil
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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