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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · pitcher · bass · arm · wax · tear · drill · land

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — to rip
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bass — low music
  9. drill — army training
  10. tear — from crying
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tear — from crying
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. land — ground
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bass — the fish
  24. drill — a practice

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