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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 116 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: land · march · content · file · staff · prune · stand · face

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. march — the month
  3. content — happy
  4. march — the month
  5. land — a country
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. file — a line of people
  8. face — to point toward
  9. content — the amount
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. staff — a stick
  13. march — music
  14. face — part of the head
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. prune — to trim
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. stand — to bear
  23. face — to confront
  24. prune — to trim

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