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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: wake · stand · hand · cap · press · spring · pit · branch

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cap — a hat
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. press — to push
  7. wake — a trail
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pit — in a race
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. spring — the season
  13. hand — help
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. press — newspapers
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spring — of water
  21. cap — a lid
  22. spring — a coil
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wake — before a funeral

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