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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: wax · content · deal · stem · kick · fine · drill · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. content — the amount
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. drill — army training
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stem — to come from
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wax — to grow
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fine — all right
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. content — happy
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kick — in football
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. deal — to handle
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. drill — the tool

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