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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: saw · band · root · racket · staff · safe · firm · capital

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. root — the cause
  4. capital — a city
  5. staff — employees
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — money
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. firm — decided
  12. saw — the tool
  13. root — of a plant
  14. firm — steady
  15. root — of a word
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. saw — the tool
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. staff — a stick

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