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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: capital · pop · press · drill · board · lean · net · bark

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. press — newspapers
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lean — thin
  6. board — a committee
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. pop — music
  12. board — to get on
  13. net — for catching
  14. pop — soda
  15. net — after costs
  16. pop — to visit
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. capital — a city
  20. drill — a practice
  21. net — in sport
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. press — to push

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