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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: bowl · safe · wax · drill · bear · saw · mouse · cold

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. saw — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cold — not warm
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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