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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 116 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: drill · wax · rash · safe · spell · saw · wake · land

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. drill — a practice
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. land — a country
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. spell — a short time
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wake — a trail
  13. land — ground
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. drill — army training
  20. land — to come down
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rash — hasty
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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