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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: press · dip · capital · bank · band · ball · rash · can

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. band — a ring
  3. bank — for money
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bank — of a river
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. band — a music group
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rash — a series
  11. press — newspapers
  12. can — a tin
  13. ball — a great time
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. can — to be able to
  17. dip — to sink
  18. capital — a city
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. can — a tin
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. capital — 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