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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: face · club · capital · lie · band · root · safe · season

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. band — a ring
  3. root — the cause
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. capital — a city
  9. lie — to recline
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. face — to confront
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. club — for golf
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a music group
  18. club — a group
  19. season — of the year
  20. club — for dancing
  21. root — of a plant
  22. face — to point toward
  23. season — in sport
  24. root — of a word

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