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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: current · date · stand · bound · saw · cabinet · capital · face

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bound — tied together
  4. capital — money
  5. face — to point toward
  6. current — electric
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. saw — the tool
  10. current — of water
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. saw — the tool
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bound — certain
  16. face — to confront
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. capital — a city
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. capital — a big letter

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