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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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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 · kid · rest · cap · wax · swing · root · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cap — a lid
  3. swing — to play on
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mug — a face
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. root — the cause
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kid — child
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mug — to rob
  14. swing — music
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cap — of ice
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. root — of a word
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. swing — in golf

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