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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: net · capital · present · mate · lean · bulb · face · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. lean — to bend
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. mate — a friend
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. mate — a partner
  9. lean — thin
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. net — for catching

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