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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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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. face — to point toward
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. face — part of the head
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. capital — a city
  10. band — a ring
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stem — to come from
  20. face — to confront
  21. band — a music group
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. leaves — of a tree

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