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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: cold · safe · wax · scale · bear · fine · fall · wave

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. scale — in music
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fall — the season
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fine — all right
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wave — of the sea

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