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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 120 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: bat · wax · rule · saw · pop · present · file · safe

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. file — a document
  6. present — there
  7. pop — soda
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pop — music
  11. rule — government
  12. file — a tool
  13. pop — to visit
  14. present — a gift
  15. rule — a law
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bat — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. present — the time now
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bat — for baseball

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