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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: roll · press · cell · jam · bowl · straw · coach · field

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. press — to push
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. press — newspapers
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. roll — a cake
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. field — for sport
  24. bowl — a dish

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