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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · stick · scale · safe · wax · wound · clip · net

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — in sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. net — after costs
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. track — to keep track
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. net — for catching
  16. wax — to grow
  17. clip — to cut
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — for paper
  20. scale — in music
  21. track — a path
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. track — a song
  24. clip — a video

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