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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: capital · scale · press · stock · sharp · last · wound · bank

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. scale — in music
  3. last — finally
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bank — for money
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wound — an injury
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bank — for money
  14. stock — goods
  15. bank — of a river
  16. sharp — clever
  17. capital — money
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. scale — size or range
  21. capital — a city
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. last — final

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