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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 116 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: mouse · face · band · deal · capital · firm · spring · coach

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. firm — decided
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. capital — money
  15. spring — the season
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. face — to point toward
  20. capital — a city
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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