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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: cap · face · staff · prune · file · suit · stand · spell

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. file — a document
  3. prune — to trim
  4. staff — a stick
  5. suit — in cards
  6. cap — of ice
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spell — a short time
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cap — a lid
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. staff — employees
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. staff — employees
  17. suit — to fit
  18. spell — letters
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. spell — magic

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