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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitch — completely
  3. scale — in music
  4. shower — to wash
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. drill — a practice
  8. shower — rain
  9. wax — to grow
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. prune — to trim
  22. drill — army training
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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