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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. cell — in biology
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mark — a trace
  6. plane — a tool
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mark — a grade
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cell — a phone
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. net — after costs
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bark — to shout

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