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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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Word bank
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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: key · saw · patient · wake · capital · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. key — the most important part
  3. capital — a city
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bound — tied together
  9. key — in music
  10. wake — a trail
  11. key — for a lock
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bound — obliged
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. capital — money
  18. saw — past of 'see'

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