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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: cabinet · face · wind · chair · season · suit · bear · stem

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bear — the animal
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. season — in sport
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. face — to point toward
  16. suit — to fit
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. suit — in cards
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stem — to come from
  24. suit — clothes

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