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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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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: bank · fine · track · trunk · bound · capital · arm · branch

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bound — certain
  3. track — a path
  4. bank — for money
  5. bound — obliged
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bank — of a river
  8. track — to keep track
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fine — high quality
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. track — a song
  15. fine — all right
  16. branch — a division
  17. bank — for money
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. capital — money
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bound — tied together
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. capital — a big letter

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