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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: press · cap · straw · cell · mug · staff · wave · hand

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. staff — employees
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. hand — help
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. press — newspapers
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. press — to push
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. press — a publisher
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. staff — employees
  24. mug — a face

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