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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: face · fork · rule · bank · capital · mine · mark · season

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mark — a trace
  3. capital — a city
  4. rule — a law
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bank — for money
  8. season — in sport
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. capital — money
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. rule — government
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bank — for money
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. season — of the year

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