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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 116 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: bat · last · safe · wax · face · cap · can · mine

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cap — of ice
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — the animal
  6. face — to confront
  7. cap — a hat
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. last — to go on
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mine — for digging
  13. last — finally
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. last — final
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. can — to be able to
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. can — a tin

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