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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 116 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: object · safe · wave · sharp · race · prune · bay · wax

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. race — humankind
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. prune — to trim
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — to protest
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. sharp — clever
  15. race — a contest
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. object — an aim
  22. race — the arms race
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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