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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. capital — a city
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. branch — a division
  8. bulb — for light
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bass — low music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. capital — money
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bulb — for light
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. file — a document
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. branch — of a tree

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