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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: safe · cell · bound · stock · game · pop · wax · kid

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. pop — music
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. game — a match
  6. cell — a phone
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wax — to grow
  12. game — wild animals
  13. kid — child
  14. stock — goods
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bound — certain
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bound — obliged
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  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