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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. march — music
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. march — the month
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pound — a weight
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bass — the fish
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. bear — the animal
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. march — the month
  24. stem — a stem cell

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