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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: bound · branch · scale · mug · bore · land · capital · kick

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bound — certain
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bound — obliged
  13. land — to come down
  14. kick — in football
  15. capital — a city
  16. branch — a division
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mug — a face
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. land — ground
  21. scale — in music
  22. capital — money
  23. bore — to drill
  24. scale — size or range

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