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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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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: kid · wax · safe · season · toast · bowl · calf · club

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. season — of the year
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. club — for golf
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wax — to grow
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. club — a group
  21. kid — to tease
  22. club — for dancing
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. season — in sport

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