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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 120 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: hand · fine · bound · rock · trunk · mine · present · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mine — for digging
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rock — music
  6. capital — a city
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bound — tied together
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rock — a stone
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. present — there
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bound — certain
  24. fine — a penalty

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