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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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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: wax · kid · saw · current · safe · race · board · pit

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. board — a committee
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pit — in a race
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — to grow
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. board — to get on
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. race — humankind
  17. kid — to tease
  18. saw — the tool
  19. race — a contest
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. current — of water
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pit — a hole
  24. race — the arms race

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