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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: vault · stem · safe · face · hand · content · press · spring

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. stem — to come from
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. content — happy
  6. face — part of the head
  7. content — the amount
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spring — a coil
  10. vault — a safe
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. hand — help
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. press — to push

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