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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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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: cell · capital · bowl · safe · mouse · bark · wax · coach

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cell — a phone
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. capital — a city
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. capital — money
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cell — in biology

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