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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: bound · wave · capital · bank · cap · race

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bank — for money
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bound — certain
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cap — a lid
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bank — of a river
  16. capital — money
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bank — for money

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