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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: mine · safe · bound · prune · capital · racket · key · rush

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. key — the most important part
  10. prune — to trim
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. mine — for digging
  13. prune — to trim
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rush — to hurry

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