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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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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 · stand · file · wind · row · degree · deal · safe

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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 tool
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stand — to bear
  5. degree — an amount
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. row — a line
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. degree — temperature
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. row — to paddle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. file — a document
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — to handle

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