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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: can · bark · capital · arm · safe · wax · court · pitcher

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. can — a tin
  11. court — of law
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. court — for sport
  19. capital — money
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bark — to shout

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