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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: object · field · wave · prune · face · wake · content · safe

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. object — to protest
  6. content — happy
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. field — a subject
  10. face — to confront
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. wake — a trail
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. content — the amount
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. face — part of the head
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. wake — before a funeral

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