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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: cell · chair · sharp · coach · mate · stem · press · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. press — to push
  3. cell — in biology
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. drill — the tool
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. chair — a leader
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stem — to come from
  15. drill — a practice
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cell — a phone
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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