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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: bore · court · band · bank · mug · game · capital · mark

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mug — to rob
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mug — a cup
  9. court — of a king
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. mark — a grade
  15. game — a match
  16. court — of law
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. court — for sport
  20. capital — money
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mug — a face
  24. bank — for money

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