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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.

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: arm · safe · tube · saw · root · stock · swing · capital

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. capital — a city
  3. stock — goods
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. swing — music
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. root — the cause
  14. stock — shares
  15. saw — the tool
  16. swing — in golf
  17. root — of a word
  18. swing — to play on
  19. root — of a plant
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. capital — money
  24. safe — a strongbox

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