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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.

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468
Word bank
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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. cell — in biology
  8. current — of water
  9. cell — a phone
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. row — a line
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mate — to breed
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mate — a friend
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. current — happening now
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. current — electric
  22. row — to paddle
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wax — to grow

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