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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: rule · deal · kick · wax · wake · hand · safe · net

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. hand — help
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. kick — in football
  7. rule — a law
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. net — in sport
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. net — after costs
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wake — a trail
  23. net — for catching
  24. kick — with a leg

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