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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
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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: chair · wax · safe · hand · fan · bear · scale · march

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. scale — size or range
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wax — to grow
  13. march — music
  14. scale — in music
  15. hand — help
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. march — the month
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. hand — in cards

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