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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: drill · mug · press · cell · pound · coach · stem · kid

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. press — to push
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. kid — child
  7. cell — in biology
  8. kid — to tease
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mug — a face
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cell — a phone
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mug — to rob
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mug — a cup
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pound — a weight
  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