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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.

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: spring · straw · mate · coach · cabinet · press · chip · patient

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. press — newspapers
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. chip — for betting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mate — to breed
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mate — a friend
  18. spring — a coil
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. press — to push
  22. mate — a partner
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cabinet — ministers

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