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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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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: safe · lie · kid · wax · mark · band · root · toast

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wax — to grow
  3. toast — bread
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mark — a grade
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. root — of a word
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. band — a music group
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. root — the cause
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mark — a trace
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. lie — to recline
  24. safe — a strongbox

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