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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · stem · safe · nail · capital · leaves · object · clip

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. clip — a video
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. object — a thing
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. object — to protest
  14. clip — for paper
  15. capital — a city
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chest — of your body
  19. object — an aim
  20. chest — of your body
  21. capital — money
  22. chest — a box
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. safe — out of danger

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