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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: stem · file · mouse · season · pitch · cap · straw · face

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cap — a hat
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stem — to come from
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. season — of the year
  18. face — to point toward
  19. file — a document
  20. season — in sport
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. face — to confront
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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