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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: tear · snap · capital · fine · plane · safe · pop · mouse

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pop — music
  3. capital — a city
  4. pop — soda
  5. fine — all right
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fine — high quality
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pop — to visit
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. plane — a tool
  18. capital — money
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. tear — to rip
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. tear — from crying

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