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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: capital · branch · mine · bound · court · safe · pound · current

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pound — a weight
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. court — of law
  6. bound — tied together
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. current — happening now
  9. bound — certain
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. capital — money
  12. court — for sport
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. capital — a city
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. current — of water
  17. bound — obliged
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. current — electric
  21. court — of a king
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pound — for dogs

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