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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: stem · net · kid · wake · bay · chest · wax · safe

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wake — a trail
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. net — in sport
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. kid — child
  23. chest — a box
  24. wake — before a funeral

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