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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: rest · march · face · leaves · calf · rush · spring · track

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. face — part of the head
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rest — what's left
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spring — the season
  9. track — a song
  10. rush — hurry
  11. march — the month
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. march — music
  15. face — to confront
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rest — a break
  19. track — a path
  20. face — to point toward
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. track — to keep track
  23. spring — of water
  24. leaves — to go away

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