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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: capital · spring · rule · press · ground · staff

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rule — a law
  3. staff — employees
  4. press — to push
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. rule — government
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spring — of water
  10. capital — a city
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. ground — crushed
  17. capital — money
  18. ground — a position

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