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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: press · mine · squash · capital · lean · jam · bank · coach

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. capital — a city
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. press — newspapers
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. capital — money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bank — for money
  16. lean — to bend
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bank — for money
  23. squash — the sport
  24. jam — a tight spot

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