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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: ground · bay · pass · fork · capital · bound · band · date

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bound — certain
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. band — a ring
  12. fork — in a road
  13. ground — the earth
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. band — a music group
  20. capital — a city
  21. ground — crushed
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ground — a position

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