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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: bay · scale · wax · date · shower · mine · safe · game

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. date — the fruit
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. shower — to wash
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mine — for digging
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. game — a match
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. shower — rain
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. scale — in music
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. scale — size or range
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wax — to grow

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