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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: straw · jam · mine · wave · capital · press · snap · fan

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a city
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. press — a publisher
  9. snap — to click
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. capital — money
  23. press — to push
  24. mine — belonging to me

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