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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: mine · bulb · bound · safe · bass · object · capital · club

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. club — a group
  4. object — a thing
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. object — an aim
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bass — the fish
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. capital — money
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. club — for golf
  19. bound — certain
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. object — to protest
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bass — low music

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