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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: wound · fan · ball · wax · last · safe · row · pass

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. last — final
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. last — finally
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. row — a line
  17. last — to go on
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. row — to paddle
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ball — a great time

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