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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: face · rule · spring · mouse · fine · safe · clip · temple

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. clip — to cut
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rule — government
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. fine — high quality
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. fine — all right
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spring — of water
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rule — a law
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. face — to confront
  24. clip — a video

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