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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: fork · capital · stand · bound · wind · race

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. capital — a city
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bound — certain
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bound — tied together
  12. race — a contest
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wind — moving air
  15. race — the arms race
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. race — humankind

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