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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: ball · wax · bark · mate · firm · safe · sharp · bat

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. firm — steady
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mate — to breed
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. firm — a company
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wax — to grow
  17. firm — decided
  18. mate — a partner
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bat — in an idiom

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