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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: chair · nail · wax · rush · safe · bass · mine · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rush — hurry
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mine — for digging
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bass — the fish
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. staff — employees
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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