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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: cabinet · wax · spring · jam · press · safe · straw · bark

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. spring — of water
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bark — to shout
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spring — the season
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. press — newspapers
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. spring — a coil
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. press — to push
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. straw — dry grass

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