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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: ground · fan · perch · leaves · band · mark · face · capital

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. capital — a city
  3. band — a music group
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. band — a ring
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. face — to confront
  8. capital — money
  9. ground — a position
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ground — the earth
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. perch — the fish
  18. face — part of the head
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mark — a grade
  24. ground — crushed

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