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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: face · stand · staff · straw · wound · mate · cell · craft

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cell — in biology
  5. staff — employees
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wound — an injury
  14. craft — boats
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cell — a phone
  19. craft — a skill
  20. face — to confront
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mate — to breed
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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