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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.

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: season · object · rest · march · safe · wax · drill · nail

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rest — what's left
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — to grow
  9. march — music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. drill — a practice
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — army training
  16. rest — a break
  17. drill — the tool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. object — an aim
  20. rest — what's left
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — a thing
  24. nail — on a finger

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