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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: field · straw · squash · safe · rash · season · mark · wax

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. season — of the year
  5. wax — to grow
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rash — hasty
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. squash — the sport
  11. season — in sport
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. field — a subject
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. mark — a grade
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rash — a series

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