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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: march · ground · face · shower · bank · pass · season · rock

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rock — music
  4. shower — rain
  5. march — music
  6. bank — for money
  7. shower — to wash
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. march — the month
  13. season — of the year
  14. ground — a position
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bank — for money
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bank — of a river
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. march — the month

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