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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 · land · can · patient · date · wind · sharp · safe

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wind — moving air
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. land — to come down
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wax — to grow
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. land — a country
  24. can — a tin

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