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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.

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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: kid · object · wave · safe · capital · ground · arm · current

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. kid — to tease
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. kid — child
  8. object — a thing
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. capital — a city
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ground — a position
  15. object — an aim
  16. ground — the earth
  17. current — electric
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. current — of water
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. capital — money
  24. current — happening now

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