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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · bear · wax · press · land · safe · date · rock

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. bear — the animal
  3. press — newspapers
  4. land — ground
  5. rock — music
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. press — a publisher
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — to grow
  17. land — a country
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. land — to come down
  22. date — the fruit
  23. press — to push
  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