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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: mate · safe · ground · band · wax · bay · trunk · capital

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. ground — a position
  8. wax — to grow
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. mate — to breed
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. band — a music group
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ground — the earth
  23. band — a ring
  24. capital — a big letter

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