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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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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: charge · object · cell · snap · wound · safe · bark · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. capital — a city
  4. charge — a price
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. wound — an injury
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. object — an aim
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. object — a thing
  15. snap — to click
  16. charge — in control
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cell — in biology
  21. object — to protest
  22. charge — electricity
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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