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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 116 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: bound · cell · capital · ground · file · wave · fork · firm

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. firm — decided
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. firm — a company
  16. capital — money
  17. file — a line of people
  18. firm — steady
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bound — certain
  22. capital — a city
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bound — tied together

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