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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: chair · band · safe · bore · capital · rash · tear · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. capital — a city
  5. tear — from crying
  6. capital — money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bore — to drill
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bore — to tire
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. safe — out of danger

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