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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.

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: coach · stock · capital · press · bound · ruler · wind · bank

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bank — of a river
  3. capital — money
  4. bank — for money
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. press — to push
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bank — for money
  16. bound — certain
  17. stock — goods
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bound — obliged
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bound — tied together

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