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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.

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: bank · capital · season · saw · press · craft · kid · shower

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. capital — a city
  3. press — to push
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bank — of a river
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bank — for money
  9. season — of the year
  10. kid — child
  11. saw — the tool
  12. craft — a skill
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kid — to tease
  16. craft — boats
  17. bank — for money
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. shower — rain
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. shower — to wash
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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