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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: rule · wax · safe · shower · prune · ball · spell · mine

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. shower — rain
  3. rule — government
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ball — a dance
  7. shower — to wash
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spell — letters
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rule — a law
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. wax — for sculpting

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