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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: pop · pitcher · mark · capital · tube · bound · stem · wound

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pop — music
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. tube — a container
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pop — soda
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — to come from
  15. capital — a city
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bound — certain
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pop — to visit
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. capital — money
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mark — a grade

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