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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: spell · safe · pitcher · field · spring · ruler · capital · wake

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. spring — the season
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. spring — of water
  14. spell — letters
  15. field — for sport
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. spring — a coil
  19. capital — a city
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. field — farmland
  24. capital — money

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