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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: calf · band · board · straw · bass · bound · capital · bank

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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 — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bass — the fish
  7. board — a committee
  8. band — a ring
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bank — for money
  11. board — to get on
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bank — of a river
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bank — for money
  23. straw — dry grass
  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