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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: mark · coach · track · face · capital · rock · band · fall

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rock — a stone
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fall — the season
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fall — to drop
  15. track — to keep track
  16. capital — money
  17. face — to confront
  18. track — a song
  19. fall — to drop
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rock — music
  23. track — a path
  24. mark — a trace

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