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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: cap · rock · field · shower · bank · face · ground · mate

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. ground — crushed
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bank — of a river
  9. mate — a partner
  10. field — a subject
  11. ground — the earth
  12. field — for sport
  13. face — to confront
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. ground — a position
  16. field — farmland
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. rock — music
  20. shower — rain
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cap — a lid
  23. shower — to wash
  24. mate — to breed

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