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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 120 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: capital · wind · face · stem · trunk · mug · cabinet · pound

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pound — a weight
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. capital — money
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mug — a face
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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