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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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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: wave · prune · content · object · shower · bay · date · safe

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. object — to protest
  2. prune — to trim
  3. content — the amount
  4. object — an aim
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. object — a thing
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. prune — to trim
  21. date — the fruit
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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