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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: drill · safe · kid · last · present · squash · shower · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. last — finally
  3. drill — army training
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. present — the time now
  11. shower — rain
  12. last — final
  13. squash — to crush
  14. shower — to wash
  15. drill — a practice
  16. present — a gift
  17. wax — to grow
  18. kid — to tease
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. last — to go on
  21. kid — child
  22. drill — the tool
  23. squash — the sport
  24. present — there

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