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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: spring · bore · march · safe · wave · scale · press · club

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. scale — size or range
  3. march — music
  4. press — newspapers
  5. club — a group
  6. bore — to drill
  7. club — for golf
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. scale — in music
  11. press — to push
  12. march — the month
  13. spring — the season
  14. club — for dancing
  15. spring — of water
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. press — a publisher
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. spring — a coil
  22. march — the month
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bore — to tire

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