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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: tube · bore · branch · capital · bound · cap · date · snap

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. tube — the underground
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bound — obliged
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bore — to drill
  11. tube — a container
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cap — of ice
  14. snap — to click
  15. capital — money
  16. branch — a division
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bound — tied together
  24. date — the fruit

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