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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: ground · face · fan · season · bulb · capital · key · stem

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. capital — money
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. face — to point toward
  7. ground — crushed
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bulb — for light
  10. face — to confront
  11. key — for a lock
  12. capital — a city
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. season — of the year
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. ground — the earth
  20. face — part of the head
  21. ground — a position
  22. key — the most important part
  23. season — in sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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