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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · coach · chair · game · press · scale · stem · march

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. game — a match
  6. press — to push
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. scale — in music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. march — music
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. game — wild animals
  19. march — the month
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. march — the month
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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