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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: coach · safe · hand · fan · date · game · wax · suit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hand — help
  10. suit — clothes
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. suit — to fit
  16. hand — in cards
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. wax — to grow
  23. date — the fruit
  24. game — wild animals

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