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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 · ground · object · wave · cap · bass · face · can

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cap — of ice
  3. can — a tin
  4. bass — low music
  5. ground — crushed
  6. can — to be able to
  7. face — to confront
  8. object — to protest
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. can — a tin
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. object — an aim
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. ground — a position
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. face — to point toward

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