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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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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: bay · capital · tube · stand · safe · rock · land · wound

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rock — music
  3. capital — a city
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tube — a container
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. land — a country
  8. capital — money
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. land — ground
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rock — a stone
  17. land — to come down
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. capital — a big letter

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