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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · safe · squash · mug · mine · clip · pitch · capital

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mine — for digging
  4. capital — money
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mug — a face
  16. clip — a video
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. clip — to cut
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wax — to grow

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