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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: key · pitch · stem · face · bear · wax · safe · straw

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. key — in music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stem — to come from
  9. key — the most important part
  10. face — to confront
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bear — the animal
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bear — the animal
  24. key — for a lock

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