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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · clip · safe · spring · press · patient · racket · rule

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spring — of water
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. press — newspapers
  9. spring — the season
  10. ball — a great time
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. clip — a video
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. clip — for paper
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rule — to rule out

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