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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: stem · press · band · fan · coach · chair · deal · racket

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. chair — a leader
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. press — to push
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. deal — to handle
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. band — a ring
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stem — to come from
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. press — newspapers
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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