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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: kid · safe · pass · bowl · net · club · rash · wax

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. net — in sport
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rash — a series
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. net — after costs
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. pass — a permit
  15. net — for catching
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — to grow
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. club — a group

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