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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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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: stick · march · pass · hide · wound · race · bulb · coach

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. race — humankind
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. race — a contest
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. march — the month
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — music
  24. coach — a trainer

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