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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 116 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: bound · mine · capital · plane · pound · bat · fan · bank

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. capital — a city
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bound — certain
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bound — tied together
  10. plane — a tool
  11. capital — money
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bank — for money
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bank — for money
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fan — a supporter

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