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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: firm · face · capital · stock · file · root · band · wake

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. capital — a city
  3. firm — steady
  4. face — to point toward
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. firm — a company
  9. file — a line of people
  10. root — the cause
  11. firm — decided
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. face — part of the head
  15. root — of a word
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. face — to confront
  18. band — a music group
  19. wake — a trail
  20. root — of a plant
  21. stock — shares
  22. file — a tool
  23. band — a ring
  24. stock — goods

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