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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: key · capital · face · perch · tear · saw · cabinet · last

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. face — to point toward
  5. saw — the tool
  6. face — to confront
  7. tear — from crying
  8. capital — money
  9. key — in music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. capital — a city
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. key — for a lock
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. tear — from crying
  20. key — the most important part
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. saw — the tool
  23. face — part of the head
  24. tear — to rip

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