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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: present · coach · hide · cabinet · fan · cell · press · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cell — in biology
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cell — a phone
  9. present — a gift
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. present — the time now
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. press — to push
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. present — there
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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