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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: patient · toast · press · safe · land · temple · saw · fork

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. press — newspapers
  7. land — to come down
  8. press — a publisher
  9. toast — bread
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. land — a country
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. land — ground
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fork — in a road
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. press — to push
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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