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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: pitcher · staff · can · stand · face · spell · straw · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. face — part of the head
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. face — to point toward
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. present — there
  8. spell — a short time
  9. staff — employees
  10. stand — to bear
  11. spell — letters
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. can — a tin
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. spell — magic
  17. staff — employees
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. present — the time now
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — to be able to
  23. face — to confront
  24. staff — a stick

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