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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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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 · chip · cabinet · branch · lash · capital · key · cap

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. chip — to eat
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cap — a hat
  9. press — newspapers
  10. capital — money
  11. press — to push
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. capital — a city
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. key — in music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. branch — a division
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cap — of ice

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