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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: tear · cue · safe · rule · wax · fork · shower · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rule — a law
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rule — government
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. tear — to rip
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wax — to grow
  22. tear — from crying
  23. shower — to wash
  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