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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 120 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: chair · straw · capital · spell · saw · wax · kick · safe

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wax — to grow
  5. chair — a leader
  6. capital — money
  7. kick — in football
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. spell — a short time
  13. saw — the tool
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spell — letters
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. spell — magic
  19. capital — a city
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. chair — to sit on
  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