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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: face · bear · rush · cap · wake · hand · mark · season

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cap — of ice
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — of the year
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. season — in sport
  22. face — to point toward
  23. hand — help
  24. bear — the animal

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