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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 · wound · track · mate · saw · pound · fall · bound

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wound — an injury
  3. capital — a city
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. track — a song
  8. capital — money
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bound — certain
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — a weight
  24. track — a path

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