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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: safe · mate · wax · craft · root · press · band · row

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. craft — a skill
  3. row — a line
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mate — a partner
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mate — a friend
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. band — a ring
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. craft — boats
  14. press — newspapers
  15. root — the cause
  16. press — to push
  17. band — a music group
  18. mate — to breed
  19. row — to paddle
  20. root — of a word
  21. press — a publisher
  22. root — of a plant
  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