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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 120 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: race · deal · wound · wax · safe · chest · capital · swing

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. capital — money
  7. chest — a box
  8. swing — to play on
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chest — of your body
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wax — to grow
  16. race — a contest
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. swing — music
  20. capital — a city
  21. wound — an injury
  22. swing — in golf
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. safe — a strongbox

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