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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: bay · hand · straw · capital · bank · cabinet · band · press

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. band — a ring
  6. hand — in cards
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. band — a music group
  9. hand — help
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. press — to push
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bank — of a river
  15. press — a publisher
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. press — newspapers
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a city
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bank — for money
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. hand — part of the body

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