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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.

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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: wake · safe · wax · straw · scale · spell · rash · staff

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rash — hasty
  3. spell — a short time
  4. staff — a stick
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. staff — employees
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. scale — in music
  10. wax — to grow
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spell — magic
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rash — a series
  17. staff — employees
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. spell — letters
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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