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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: firm · capital · bark · track · season · march · jam · bound

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. capital — a city
  4. track — a song
  5. bound — tied together
  6. firm — steady
  7. march — music
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. season — in sport
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. firm — a company
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. track — a path
  14. bound — obliged
  15. track — to keep track
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. season — of the year
  19. firm — decided
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bound — certain
  22. bark — to shout
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. capital — 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