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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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Word bank
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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chest — a box
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. date — the fruit
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chest — of your body
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wound — an injury
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bank — for money
  22. kick — in football
  23. chest — of your body
  24. date — on the calendar

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