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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: cabinet · spell · capital · face · scale · field · bay · branch

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. spell — letters
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. scale — in music
  6. field — for sport
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. branch — a division
  10. face — to confront
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. spell — magic
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. face — to point toward
  17. capital — a city
  18. scale — size or range
  19. field — a subject
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. field — farmland
  23. capital — money
  24. scale — for weighing

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