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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bound · ruler · bank · straw · plane · capital · last

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bank — for money
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bound — certain
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bound — obliged
  8. last — finally
  9. bank — of a river
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. last — to go on
  12. capital — a city
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bank — for money
  15. plane — a tool
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. last — final
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. capital — money
  24. ruler — for measuring

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