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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: wave · craft · kid · bear · capital · vault · safe · clip

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bear — the animal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. clip — to cut
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. kid — child
  15. clip — for paper
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. kid — to tease
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. capital — a city
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. vault — a safe
  24. clip — a video

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