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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 · press · file · squash · bowl · branch · jam · stock

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. capital — money
  4. stock — goods
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. stock — shares
  13. capital — a city
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. squash — to crush
  16. branch — a division
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. file — a document
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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