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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 120 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: wax · press · wake · safe · cue · mine · wind · mark

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cue — for pool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wind — moving air
  24. safe — out of danger

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