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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. branch — a division
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. spring — of water
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. band — a ring
  18. spring — a coil
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. band — a music group
  21. spring — the season
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bound — obliged

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