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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: rock · press · saw · coach · stick · present · cell · squash

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. present — a gift
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. present — the time now
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cell — a phone
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. squash — to crush
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rock — a stone
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rock — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. saw — the tool

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