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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: firm · mine · wake · press · squash · capital · mark · tube

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. tube — a container
  3. capital — a city
  4. firm — decided
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. tube — the underground
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mine — for digging
  10. firm — steady
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. firm — a company
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. press — newspapers
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. press — to push
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mark — a trace

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