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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: leaves · band · drill · lean · capital · cell · safe · arm

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. lean — to bend
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. lean — thin
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. drill — army training
  7. capital — a city
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cell — in biology
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. band — a ring
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. band — a music group
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. capital — money
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. drill — the tool
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cell — a phone

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