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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: wax · bulb · plane · leaves · bound · fine · bank · capital

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. capital — money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. plane — a tool
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fine — all right
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wax — to grow
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bank — for money
  13. capital — a city
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bound — certain
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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