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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.

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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: present · hand · stem · straw · tube · cabinet · firm · press

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. firm — decided
  3. hand — help
  4. firm — a company
  5. hand — in cards
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. present — the time now
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stem — to come from
  16. press — to push
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. press — newspapers
  19. tube — a container
  20. firm — steady
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. present — a gift

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