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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: row · press · bark · jam · net · bank · tube · capital

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. net — after costs
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bank — for money
  9. tube — a container
  10. press — a publisher
  11. capital — money
  12. net — for catching
  13. press — newspapers
  14. capital — a city
  15. bark — to shout
  16. row — a line
  17. bank — for money
  18. press — to push
  19. tube — the underground
  20. net — in sport
  21. bank — of a river
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. row — to paddle
  24. jam — a tight spot

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