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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: press · stand · bowl · capital · wound · board · bank · game

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bank — for money
  4. capital — a city
  5. wound — an injury
  6. press — to push
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bank — for money
  17. game — a match
  18. board — to get on
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stand — to bear
  22. capital — money
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — a committee

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