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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: jam · capital · mug · bound · cap · fine · court · branch

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fine — high quality
  4. capital — money
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. bound — obliged
  8. court — of a king
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bound — certain
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fine — all right
  14. mug — a face
  15. court — of law
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. court — for sport
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cap — of ice
  22. capital — a city
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mug — to rob

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