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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: ruler · toast · jam · wax · land · straw · safe · march

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. march — music
  5. land — ground
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. toast — bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. land — a country
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. land — to come down

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