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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: spring · safe · staff · kid · mine · face · wax · rush

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. spring — of water
  8. wax — to grow
  9. face — part of the head
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spring — the season
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rush — hurry
  19. staff — employees
  20. kid — child
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. mine — for digging

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