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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.

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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: kid · racket · safe · club · last · pitcher · wax · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. last — final
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. last — to go on
  15. kid — to tease
  16. last — finally
  17. kid — child
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wax — to grow
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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