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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
468
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 · leaves · wax · fine · trunk · bat · court · snap

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. snap — to click
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fine — high quality
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. court — for sport
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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