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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: sharp · press · stem · straw · cabinet · band · mate · cue

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. mate — a friend
  3. band — a music group
  4. sharp — clever
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. press — a publisher
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mate — a partner
  19. band — a ring
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cue — for pool
  24. press — to push

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