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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: stock · mine · wax · capital · rush · safe · bound · branch

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bound — certain
  3. branch — a division
  4. bound — tied together
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stock — shares
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. stock — goods
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wax — to grow
  20. capital — a city
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bound — obliged

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