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

Word bank: row · wave · ground · race · root · march · prune · coach

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. race — humankind
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. ground — the earth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. ground — crushed
  10. race — a contest
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. root — the cause
  16. ground — a position
  17. root — of a plant
  18. row — a line
  19. race — the arms race
  20. row — to paddle
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. march — the month
  23. root — of a word
  24. march — music

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