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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 120 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: bat · mark · capital · patient · branch · plane · pitcher · face

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. capital — money
  3. face — to confront
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. bat — the animal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. face — part of the head
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. capital — a city
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mark — a grade
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. face — to point toward

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