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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.

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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: stem · mug · wind · safe · board · capital · swing · content

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. board — a committee
  3. capital — a city
  4. mug — a face
  5. board — to get on
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mug — a cup
  8. capital — money
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mug — to rob
  14. content — happy
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stem — to come from
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wind — moving air
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. content — the amount

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