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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: branch · firm · press · cap · wind · scale · spring · pop

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cap — a hat
  4. firm — decided
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cap — of ice
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. spring — the season
  12. press — newspapers
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. press — a publisher
  16. firm — steady
  17. pop — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. firm — a company
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. branch — a division
  22. press — to push
  23. scale — in music
  24. wind — moving air

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