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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: cabinet · stand · wind · calf · face · file · march · spell

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. march — music
  6. file — a document
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. march — the month
  9. face — to confront
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. march — the month
  12. file — a tool
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wind — moving air
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a line of people

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