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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 116 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: bound · land · bank · press · capital · pop · dip · fall

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bank — for money
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bank — of a river
  6. land — ground
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fall — the season
  10. pop — music
  11. bank — for money
  12. bound — tied together
  13. press — to push
  14. bound — certain
  15. pop — to visit
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fall — to drop
  18. capital — money
  19. land — to come down
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bound — obliged
  23. capital — a city
  24. pop — soda

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