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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: band · row · march · trunk · wax · sharp · safe · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. row — a line
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lean — thin
  6. wax — to grow
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. march — music
  10. lean — to bend
  11. march — the month
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. band — a ring
  16. row — to paddle
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. march — the month
  19. sharp — clever
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wax — for sculpting

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