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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.

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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: capital · press · mark · row · firm · tube · deal · wound

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tube — the underground
  4. capital — money
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. capital — a city
  9. press — a publisher
  10. firm — steady
  11. row — a line
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mark — a trace
  14. press — newspapers
  15. tube — a container
  16. firm — a company
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. press — to push
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. deal — to handle

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