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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 · season · ground · rest · safe · wax · wound · land

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. ground — a position
  4. land — a country
  5. ground — crushed
  6. land — ground
  7. season — of the year
  8. wax — to grow
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — a break
  14. season — in sport
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rest — what's left
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. land — to come down
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. ground — the earth
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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