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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: capital · drill · wind · stand · season · rest · face · leaves

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. rest — a break
  3. season — of the year
  4. drill — the tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. season — in sport
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. capital — money
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. capital — a city
  12. drill — a practice
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. face — to confront
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stand — to bear
  21. drill — army training
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rest — what's left

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