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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: cabinet · degree · wax · fine · root · safe · leaves · hand

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. root — the cause
  6. degree — from a university
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. root — of a word
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. degree — an amount
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. hand — in cards
  17. root — of a plant
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wax — to grow
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hand — help
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cabinet — ministers

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