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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pop — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. capital — money
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bear — the animal
  11. face — to confront
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. branch — a division
  14. wake — a trail
  15. face — part of the head
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. present — a gift
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. staff — employees
  22. present — there
  23. capital — a city
  24. present — the time now

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