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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: plane · mark · content · spell · bank · capital · face · ground

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mark — a grade
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bank — for money
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mark — a trace
  10. ground — a position
  11. capital — a city
  12. content — the amount
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. capital — money
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. content — happy
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. spell — magic

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