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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: wake · land · safe · wax · shower · cap · fall · rest

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. land — ground
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rest — a break
  6. land — to come down
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fall — the season
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cap — of ice
  13. land — a country
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rest — what's left
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rest — what's left
  24. shower — rain

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