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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · mate · land · cold · wax · bore · safe · rash

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — to grow
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. land — to come down
  12. mate — a friend
  13. land — a country
  14. rash — a series
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. land — ground
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cold — not warm
  24. safe — a strongbox

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