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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · wax · rush · safe · tube · swing · hand · clip

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wax — to grow
  4. swing — music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. swing — to play on
  7. hand — help
  8. clip — a video
  9. tube — a container
  10. perch — the fish
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rush — hurry
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. hand — in cards
  24. safe — out of danger

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