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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: branch · bound · capital · march · band · pop · mug · foot

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. capital — money
  3. branch — a division
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pop — soda
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mug — to rob
  10. march — the month
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. march — music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. capital — a city
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mug — a face
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — to visit
  20. band — a music group
  21. mug — a cup
  22. band — a ring
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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