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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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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: hand · bound · pass · firm · branch · file · capital · tube

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. capital — a city
  3. bound — certain
  4. firm — decided
  5. capital — money
  6. hand — help
  7. firm — a company
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. tube — the underground
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. file — a tool
  12. pass — a permit
  13. branch — a division
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. firm — steady
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. file — a line of people
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. file — a document
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. tube — a container
  24. pass — to spend time

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