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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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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: safe · wax · wind · mine · cold · snap · vault · cap

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cap — a lid
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mine — for digging
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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