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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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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: file · present · cell · stem · face · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. present — a gift
  6. face — to confront
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cap — a hat
  9. file — a tool
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. present — there
  14. cell — in biology
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. present — the time now
  18. file — a document

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