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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 116 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: branch · safe · ground · wave · capital · mine · kid · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ground — a position
  4. capital — money
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. kid — child
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. ground — the earth
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. capital — a city
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. branch — a division
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. kid — to tease
  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