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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: mine · trunk · cue · mate · march · deal · press · stem

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. press — newspapers
  3. march — the month
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. press — to push
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cue — a signal
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stem — to come from
  17. march — music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mate — to breed

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