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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: current · safe · game · wax · hide · kick · wound · tear

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tear — to rip
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wound — an injury
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. game — a match
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wax — to grow
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. tear — from crying
  19. current — of water
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. current — happening now
  22. kick — in football
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hide — to keep secret

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