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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. tube — the underground
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tube — a container
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. tube — in a tire

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