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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: wax · pop · safe · cap · leaves · chest · pitcher · roll

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wax — to grow
  3. roll — a cake
  4. pop — soda
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cap — of ice
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pop — to visit
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. chest — a box
  21. roll — a list
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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