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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · cabinet · ground · scale · squash · capital · press · tear

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ground — the earth
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. press — newspapers
  8. tear — to rip
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. squash — to crush
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. squash — the sport
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. scale — in music
  19. press — a publisher
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. tear — from crying
  22. press — to push
  23. ground — a position
  24. cabinet — ministers

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