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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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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: chair · perch · coach · jam · press · cell · stem · patient

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. press — newspapers
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cell — in biology
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. press — to push
  19. chair — a leader
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. press — a publisher
  24. jam — in traffic

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