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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: nail · perch · row · safe · wax · shower · date · kick

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — to wash
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. row — a line
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wax — to grow
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. row — to paddle
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. perch — the fish
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. shower — rain
  23. date — the fruit
  24. safe — out of danger

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