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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: pass · stand · pop · face · capital · clip · field · branch

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. field — for sport
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pop — music
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. field — a subject
  10. pass — a permit
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pop — to visit
  13. face — part of the head
  14. field — farmland
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. clip — for paper
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. face — to confront
  20. pop — soda
  21. branch — a division
  22. clip — a video
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. stand — for spectators

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