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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · press · stick · tube · lie · bound · pop · march

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pop — music
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tube — a container
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bound — certain
  16. march — music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tube — the underground
  19. press — a publisher
  20. capital — a city
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — to push
  23. lie — to recline
  24. march — the month

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