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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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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: wave · safe · press · mate · capital · lie · field · bear

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. press — to push
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. press — newspapers
  16. capital — money
  17. mate — a partner
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. capital — a city
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. lie — an untruth

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