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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: firm · capital · land · cue · patient · trunk · bank · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. cue — a signal
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cue — for pool
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. firm — decided
  10. land — a country
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. firm — a company
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bank — for money
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. land — to come down
  17. capital — a city
  18. bank — for money
  19. land — ground
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bank — of a river
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pound — a weight
  24. firm — steady

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