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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 116 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: wound · bowl · capital · band · squash · stem · staff · press

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. squash — to crush
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stem — to come from
  9. staff — employees
  10. capital — a city
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wound — an injury
  13. capital — money
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. band — a ring
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. band — a music group
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wound — an injury
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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