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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. spell — magic
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bound — certain
  7. mug — a face
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mug — a cup
  11. capital — money
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. object — to protest
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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