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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: game · rock · toast · wax · pound · cap · safe · spring

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wax — to grow
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. spring — the season
  7. rock — music
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. game — a match
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cap — a hat
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. toast — bread
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cap — a lid
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rock — a stone
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rock — to move gently

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