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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · capital · pop · key · branch · wind · calf · mine

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. capital — a city
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mine — for digging
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. capital — money
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. branch — a division
  16. pop — to visit
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. safe — out of danger
  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