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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: safe · rash · cue · game · hide · spell · wax · wound

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cue — a signal
  9. spell — magic
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — a series
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rash — hasty
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cue — a hint
  22. game — a match
  23. spell — letters
  24. rash — on the skin

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