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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. tear — from crying
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mate — a partner
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mate — a friend
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rock — music
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wax — to grow
  18. drill — army training
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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