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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: capital · spring · mug · pop · cue · squash · cap · bank

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bank — for money
  3. mug — a cup
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. spring — the season
  6. capital — a city
  7. cue — a signal
  8. capital — money
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pop — soda
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bank — for money
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mug — a face
  18. cap — of ice
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pop — to visit
  24. spring — of water

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