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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: cold · game · temple · wax · deal · press · rest · safe

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. press — to push
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. game — a match
  6. press — newspapers
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rest — what's left
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rest — what's left
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. press — a publisher
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rest — a break

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