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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: tube · bound · capital · cap · mug · band · mine · cue

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cap — a lid
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. mug — a face
  7. cap — of ice
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bound — certain
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bound — tied together
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. cue — a signal
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. band — a music group
  24. capital — a big letter

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