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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. shower — to wash
  4. field — farmland
  5. bound — obliged
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bound — certain
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chip — to eat
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. field — for sport
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kick — in football
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. shower — rain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. field — a subject

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