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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
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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: suit · staff · mouse · coach · last · stem · hand · press

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. staff — employees
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. last — finally
  6. hand — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. press — newspapers
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. press — to push
  13. stem — to come from
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. staff — employees
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. suit — to fit
  19. hand — help
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. press — a publisher
  22. staff — a stick
  23. suit — in cards
  24. mouse — the animal

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