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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: capital · present · file · firm · band · bank · key · tube

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. band — a ring
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. present — the time now
  6. key — in music
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bank — for money
  9. firm — decided
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. file — a tool
  12. band — a music group
  13. present — there
  14. key — the most important part
  15. tube — the underground
  16. file — a line of people
  17. present — a gift
  18. tube — a container
  19. bank — of a river
  20. firm — a company
  21. bank — for money
  22. file — a document
  23. key — for a lock
  24. firm — steady

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