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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: land · wake · safe · wax · prune · shower · straw · game

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. game — wild animals
  5. land — a country
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. game — a match
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. shower — to wash
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wake — a trail
  17. land — ground
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — to come down
  24. safe — out of danger

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