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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: hand · lean · mate · march · ground · coach · bear · race

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. ground — the earth
  4. march — the month
  5. mate — a friend
  6. race — a contest
  7. mate — a partner
  8. march — the month
  9. race — humankind
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. hand — in cards
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bear — the animal
  16. race — the arms race
  17. march — music
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ground — a position

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