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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · clip · safe · kid · game · firm · wax · mine

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. game — wild animals
  5. net — after costs
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. net — in sport
  9. mine — for digging
  10. firm — decided
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. kid — child
  14. firm — a company
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wax — to grow
  22. clip — to cut
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. net — for catching

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