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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: lean · object · safe · fan · last · capital · cold · wax

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. last — finally
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cold — not warm
  6. object — to protest
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. capital — money
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lean — thin
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. last — to go on
  15. capital — a city
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. last — final
  18. cold — an illness
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. object — an aim
  24. wax — to grow

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