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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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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: cell · deal · stem · file · last · fall · cabinet · cap

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. fall — the season
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cap — a hat
  6. last — finally
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. file — a document
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. last — final
  14. fall — to drop
  15. last — to go on
  16. stem — to come from
  17. file — a tool
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. fall — to drop
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  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