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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 · wax · racket · mate · mine · mark · craft · dip

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mark — a grade
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mate — a partner
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mate — a friend
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mate — to breed
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mark — a trace
  18. craft — a skill
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. craft — boats
  24. dip — to dunk

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