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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: coach · plane · rush · stem · last · stick · press · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. last — finally
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. court — of law
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. press — to push
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. last — final
  15. rush — hurry
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. court — of a king
  18. press — newspapers
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. last — to go on
  24. coach — a trainer

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