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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: safe · board · mate · row · roll · fan · march · wax

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. row — a line
  4. board — a committee
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. march — the month
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. board — to get on
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mate — a partner
  12. march — the month
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. roll — a list
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. roll — a cake
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. march — music
  24. row — to paddle

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