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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. club — a group
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. club — for golf
  14. hand — help
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. club — for dancing
  18. safe — a strongbox

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