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

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bank — for money
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. tear — from crying
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rock — a stone
  9. capital — money
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bound — certain
  12. rock — music
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bank — for money
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bat — the animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bank — of a river
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. tear — to rip
  24. capital — a city

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