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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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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: cap · bank · jam · press · branch · chip · race · march

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. chip — to eat
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. race — humankind
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bank — for money
  11. press — newspapers
  12. race — a contest
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. march — the month
  16. branch — a division
  17. cap — a lid
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. race — the arms race
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cap — a hat
  24. branch — of a bank

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