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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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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 · safe · mine · wax · court · rock · bear · wind

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. court — of a king
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wind — moving air
  12. court — of law
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bear — the animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. rock — music
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kid — child
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wax — in the ear

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