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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: cabinet · fall · bank · field · ground · ball · cap · face

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bank — for money
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bank — for money
  8. face — to confront
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ground — the earth
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bank — of a river
  18. ball — a dance
  19. field — for sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. field — a subject
  22. fall — the season
  23. field — farmland
  24. ball — a great time

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