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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: club · game · safe · land · mate · chest · temple · wax

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wax — to grow
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chest — of your body
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. mate — a friend
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. land — a country
  11. chest — a box
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. land — ground
  16. game — wild animals
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. club — a group
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. game — a match
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. land — to come down
  24. wax — for sculpting

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