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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · pass · temple · ground · wax · safe · rush · stock

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. stock — shares
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ground — crushed
  7. game — a match
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wax — to grow
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stock — goods

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