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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: staff · safe · row · wake · press · capital · lean · kid

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. capital — a city
  5. wake — a trail
  6. lean — thin
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. kid — to tease
  9. press — to push
  10. staff — employees
  11. lean — to bend
  12. staff — employees
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. row — to paddle
  17. staff — a stick
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. row — a line
  23. kid — child
  24. capital — money

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