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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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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. drill — army training
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. spring — the season
  9. drill — a practice
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. drill — the tool
  12. capital — money
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. capital — a city
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. spring — of water
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. snap — to click
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wax — in the ear

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