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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: rush · wax · net · last · mate · date · firm · safe

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. net — after costs
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. last — finally
  9. wax — to grow
  10. firm — steady
  11. last — to go on
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. firm — a company
  14. date — the fruit
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mate — to breed
  17. net — for catching
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. firm — decided
  20. mate — a partner
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — final
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. net — in sport

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