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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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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: capital · fork · root · cell · wave · last · safe · land

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. capital — a city
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. capital — money
  12. fork — in a road
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. land — ground
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. root — the cause
  21. cell — a phone
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. last — finally
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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