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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: wax · bound · hand · safe · pass · lean · file · deal

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bound — certain
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. lean — thin
  9. hand — help
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. file — a document
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wax — to grow
  18. file — a tool
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bound — obliged
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bound — tied together

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