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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. capital — a city
  3. bank — for money
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bank — for money
  6. march — the month
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. march — the month
  10. face — to confront
  11. march — music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. capital — money
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mark — a trace
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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