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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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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. root — of a word
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pop — to visit
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. race — humankind
  9. root — the cause
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pop — music
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. race — a contest
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pop — soda
  24. wax — for sculpting

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