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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
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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: trunk · craft · last · safe · band · fine · chest · wax

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. last — finally
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. band — a ring
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fine — high quality
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. chest — of your body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fine — all right
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. band — a music group
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. chest — a box
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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