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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 · safe · wake · hide · tear · charge · stick · squash

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — money
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. capital — a city
  15. squash — to crush
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wake — a trail
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tear — to rip

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