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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 116 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: wound · staff · pass · squash · capital · stem · press · snap

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. capital — a city
  3. staff — employees
  4. press — a publisher
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. capital — money
  14. snap — to click
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stem — to come from
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. squash — the sport
  21. staff — a stick
  22. press — to push
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. capital — a big letter

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