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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.

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: safe · bulb · rush · wax · march · fan · last · arm

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bulb — for light
  12. march — music
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bulb — for light
  17. last — final
  18. march — the month
  19. last — finally
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — hurry
  22. last — to go on
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bulb — of a plant

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