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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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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: face · capital · cell · date · rest · bank

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bank — for money
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rest — what's left
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rest — what's left
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. capital — money
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bank — of a river
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bank — for money
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rest — a break
  18. capital — a city

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