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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 120 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: can · rash · face · stand · cabinet · straw · bowl · cell

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. can — to be able to
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cell — a phone
  5. can — a tin
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stand — to bear
  12. rash — a series
  13. can — a tin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. stand — on your feet

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