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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: safe · bass · wax · roll · stand · rush · field · stick

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rush — hurry
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. field — a subject
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. field — for sport
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. roll — a list
  22. field — farmland
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. stand — to bear

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