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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: scale · pass · patient · leaves · bound · jam · fine · capital

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bound — certain
  7. pass — a permit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. capital — money
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. scale — in music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fine — all right
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. capital — a city
  23. bound — tied together
  24. scale — size or range

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