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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 120 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: capital · wound · bound · mark · bank · present · pitch · season

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wound — an injury
  3. season — of the year
  4. bound — tied together
  5. present — the time now
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bank — for money
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. bank — of a river
  13. capital — a city
  14. bank — for money
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mark — a trace
  20. present — there
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. present — a gift
  23. capital — money
  24. bound — certain

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