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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: capital · firm · mouse · mine · spring · cabinet · branch · face

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. capital — a city
  3. firm — decided
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. spring — of water
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. branch — a division
  10. face — part of the head
  11. capital — money
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. face — to confront
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — a company
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. face — to point toward
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mine — an explosive

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