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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: rush · content · mouse · press · vault · bark · firm · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. firm — a company
  9. content — the amount
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. vault — a safe
  15. firm — decided
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. firm — steady
  24. content — happy

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