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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: rule · pass · stem · hide · capital · press · pop · wind

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stem — to come from
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pop — soda
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. press — newspapers
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. capital — money
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rule — a law
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pop — music
  22. rule — government
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wind — moving air

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