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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 120 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. staff — a stick
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. firm — a company
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. firm — decided
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. staff — employees
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pitch — completely
  24. firm — steady

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