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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: leaves · bay · date · fall · face · stick · hand · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. face — part of the head
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. capital — money
  5. face — to point toward
  6. fall — the season
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. date — the fruit
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hand — help
  22. face — to confront
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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