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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 116 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: chair · prune · hide · mine · safe · wax · net · ball

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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. ball — a great time
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. net — in sport
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ball — a dance
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. net — after costs
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. net — for catching
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mine — for digging

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