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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: fan · current · bark · face · capital · sharp · hand · safe

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. capital — money
  6. hand — help
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. current — happening now
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. face — to confront
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. face — part of the head
  17. hand — in cards
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. sharp — clever
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. current — of water
  23. face — to point toward
  24. capital — a city

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