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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: land · ground · present · clip · safe · bark · fine · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. present — there
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. present — a gift
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. present — the time now
  11. ground — a position
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fine — high quality
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fine — all right
  24. land — to come down

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