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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: can · wound · sharp · rule · capital · perch · chest · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bound — tied together
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. chest — of your body
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rule — government
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. chest — a box
  17. rule — a law
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wound — an injury
  22. can — a tin
  23. chest — of your body
  24. sharp — clever

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