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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bay · face · rush · leaves · present · capital · shower · stand

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. present — the time now
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. present — there
  9. capital — a city
  10. shower — rain
  11. face — to confront
  12. present — a gift
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. capital — money

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