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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · face · file · cap · ground · date · leaves · perch

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. file — a tool
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ground — a position
  8. date — the fruit
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. file — a line of people
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cap — a hat
  13. file — a document
  14. ground — crushed
  15. perch — the fish
  16. face — to confront
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cap — of ice
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cap — a lid

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