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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: saw · last · mug · sharp · wax · hand · safe · squash

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. last — finally
  3. wax — to grow
  4. last — to go on
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. squash — to crush
  10. last — final
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mug — a face
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hand — help
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. squash — the sport
  24. sharp — clever

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