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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: safe · cold · land · wax · ball · prune · calf · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. ball — a great time
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. land — to come down
  18. wax — to grow
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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