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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: lean · spring · face · cabinet · foot · rock · net · cap

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. net — after costs
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cap — a lid
  6. face — to point toward
  7. net — for catching
  8. spring — of water
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lean — to bend
  12. foot — a measure
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cap — of ice
  19. net — in sport
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lean — thin
  22. spring — the season
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cabinet — ministers

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