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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fine — all right
  4. spring — the season
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. firm — decided
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wind — moving air
  9. sharp — clever
  10. firm — steady
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spring — of water
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wax — to grow
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. firm — a company
  24. rock — a stone

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