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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: drill · bound · wax · craft · firm · branch · capital · bay

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bound — certain
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. craft — boats
  5. branch — a division
  6. craft — a skill
  7. firm — steady
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bound — tied together
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. capital — a city
  15. bound — obliged
  16. drill — a practice
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wax — to grow
  19. firm — a company
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. drill — army training
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. firm — decided

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