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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: cabinet · leaves · rock · roll · capital · face · hide · staff

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rock — music
  3. capital — money
  4. staff — employees
  5. capital — a city
  6. face — part of the head
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. face — to confront
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. staff — a stick
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. staff — employees
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rock — a stone

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