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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: tear · capital · craft · club · tube · cold · stand · press

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. press — a publisher
  8. capital — money
  9. craft — a skill
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cold — not warm
  12. press — to push
  13. craft — boats
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. club — for golf
  16. tear — to rip
  17. club — a group
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cold — an illness
  21. capital — a city
  22. club — for dancing
  23. tear — from crying
  24. capital — a big letter

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