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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: bear · safe · arm · rest · mine · wax · cue · degree

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wax — to grow
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rest — what's left
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bear — the animal
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rest — a break
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cue — a signal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cue — for pool
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cue — a hint

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