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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bear · file · row · wax · march · pitcher · cold · safe

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. march — the month
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. file — a document
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. file — a tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. march — the month
  12. cold — not warm
  13. march — music
  14. row — a line
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wax — to grow
  21. row — to paddle
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cold — an illness
  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