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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · mug · swing · straw · wax · file · chest · nail

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mug — a face
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mug — to rob
  5. swing — in golf
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. swing — to play on
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mug — a cup
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chest — of your body
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. chest — a box
  22. swing — music
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. file — a line of people

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