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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. chip — in a computer
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — to push
  4. chest — a box
  5. bank — of a river
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. press — a publisher
  8. spring — of water
  9. bank — for money
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. capital — money
  13. spring — the season
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stock — goods
  16. chip — to eat
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stock — shares
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chip — for betting
  23. spring — a coil
  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