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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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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: cue · racket · press · cap · spring · mug · cold · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mug — a face
  5. spring — the season
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cap — of ice
  8. press — to push
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mug — to rob
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bank — for money
  15. cue — a hint
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mug — a cup
  18. press — a publisher
  19. spring — of water
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cold — an illness

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