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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 120 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: wax · fine · ground · bat · row · safe · bore · net

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wax — to grow
  10. ground — a position
  11. bore — to drill
  12. ground — the earth
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. net — for catching
  19. row — to paddle
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. row — a line

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