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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: row · lash · cold · dip · mine · cap · wax · safe

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. row — a line
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cap — a lid
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. dip — to sink
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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