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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: game · land · safe · scale · cap · wake · can · trunk

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wake — a trail
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. scale — size or range
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. scale — in music
  8. can — a tin
  9. cap — of ice
  10. game — wild animals
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cap — a lid
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. land — ground
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. can — a tin
  18. game — a match
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. land — a country

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