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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: stem · board · capital · season · dip · suit · bat · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. suit — in cards
  8. stem — to come from
  9. board — a committee
  10. suit — to fit
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. suit — clothes
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. board — to get on
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. season — in sport
  22. bat — the animal
  23. season — of the year
  24. dip — to sink

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