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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: rule · cap · scale · march · leaves · face · staff · wake

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cap — a hat
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cap — a lid
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. staff — employees
  12. rule — a law
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. rule — government
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. march — the month
  20. staff — employees
  21. face — to confront
  22. scale — in music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cap — of ice

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