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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
468
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: press · pitcher · last · kid · mate · coach · stem · date

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kid — to tease
  3. last — finally
  4. stem — to come from
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mate — a partner
  8. last — to go on
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. press — to push
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. last — final
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. date — the fruit
  19. press — a publisher
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kid — child
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mate — a friend
  24. date — on the calendar

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