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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 116 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: wax · mine · capital · branch · firm · safe · leaves · press

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. branch — a division
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. capital — money
  8. wax — to grow
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. firm — steady
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. firm — decided
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. firm — a company
  18. mine — for digging
  19. capital — a city
  20. press — a publisher
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. branch — of a bank

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