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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: rule · pass · stem · hide · capital · press

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. capital — a city
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. capital — money
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rule — government
  7. stem — to come from
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pass — a permit
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. press — to push
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rule — a law
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. press — newspapers

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