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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.

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: date · squash · coach · press · cell · leaves · straw · cabinet

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. date — the fruit
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cell — a phone
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cell — in biology
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. squash — to crush
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. squash — the vegetable

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