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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: file · wound · content · branch · wave · wax · safe · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. file — a tool
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. date — the fruit
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. content — happy
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. branch — a division
  14. wound — an injury
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wound — an injury
  17. file — a document
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. content — the amount
  21. wax — to grow
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. safe — out of danger

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