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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.

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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: wax · field · rash · march · saw · hand · file · safe

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. field — a subject
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. file — a tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. field — farmland
  17. hand — help
  18. rash — a series
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — in cards
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. field — for sport
  23. march — music
  24. hand — part of the body

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