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

Word bank: capital · fall · current · safe · bear · wax · kick · kid

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fall — the season
  3. current — happening now
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. current — electric
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — child
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wax — to grow
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kick — in football
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. current — of water
  24. fall — to drop

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