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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. current — happening now
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. charge — electricity
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fork — in a road
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. current — of water
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. current — electric
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wax — in the ear

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