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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · cabinet · racket · wax · staff · safe · field · wake

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. capital — a city
  6. field — for sport
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — farmland
  13. wax — to grow
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wake — a trail
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — a subject
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. cabinet — ministers

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