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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: file · last · can · clip · safe · cold · wax · nail

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. last — finally
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. clip — to cut
  6. last — to go on
  7. wax — to grow
  8. clip — a video
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. file — a document
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. can — a tin
  15. file — a line of people
  16. clip — for paper
  17. can — to be able to
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cold — an illness
  21. last — final
  22. can — a tin
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. nail — on a finger

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