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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: coach · press · bowl · swing · stem · racket · fine · cell

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. swing — music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stem — to come from
  11. press — a publisher
  12. fine — all right
  13. press — to push
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. swing — to play on
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cell — a phone
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fine — high quality
  21. press — newspapers
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. swing — in golf
  24. stem — a stem cell

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