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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
468
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: safe · shower · bat · fine · wind · key · track · wax

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wax — to grow
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. shower — to wash
  8. key — in music
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bat — the animal
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. fine — high quality
  18. shower — rain
  19. fine — all right
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. track — a song
  24. wind — moving air

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