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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. band — a music group
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cold — not warm
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fall — the season
  12. wax — to grow
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. date — the fruit
  18. band — a ring
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wax — in the ear

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