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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: clip · charge · last · capital · bank · wax · safe · pass

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. charge — a price
  3. last — final
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. clip — a video
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. last — finally
  11. capital — a city
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. charge — in control
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pass — a permit
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bank — for money
  19. capital — money
  20. last — to go on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bank — for money

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