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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · squash · press · key · stem · march · cell · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. key — the most important part
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — the month
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. press — a publisher
  10. march — the month
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. squash — to crush
  18. march — music
  19. stem — to come from
  20. press — to push
  21. key — for a lock
  22. press — newspapers
  23. key — in music
  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