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

Word bank: branch · capital · cell · press · cap · bowl

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. capital — a city
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cap — a lid
  10. capital — money
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cap — of ice
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cap — a hat

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