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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: degree · bound · capital · pound · coach · deal · fall · object

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. capital — money
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. capital — a city
  5. object — an aim
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bound — certain
  8. pound — a weight
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fall — the season
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fall — to drop
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. fall — to drop
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. object — to protest
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. deal — to handle
  21. degree — temperature
  22. object — a thing
  23. capital — a big letter
  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