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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. degree — temperature
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bank — for money
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. hand — in cards
  9. land — ground
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bank — of a river
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bank — for money
  15. degree — an amount
  16. hand — help
  17. land — to come down
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. land — a country
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ball — a round shape

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