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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 116 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: rest · wound · racket · capital · rush · land · safe · spring

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. land — a country
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. rest — what's left
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. land — ground
  16. capital — a city
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. capital — money
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rest — a break
  23. land — to come down
  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