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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: bound · capital · patient · track · net · tube · wound · jam

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. track — to keep track
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wound — an injury
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. net — after costs
  7. track — a song
  8. net — in sport
  9. capital — money
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. net — for catching
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bound — certain
  14. tube — the underground
  15. track — a path
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. tube — a container
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bound — obliged
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. capital — a city
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. jam — a tight spot

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