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

Word bank: face · safe · pound · tear · spring · pass · cap · cabinet

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pass — a permit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spring — the season
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. face — to point toward
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cap — a hat
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cap — a lid

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