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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: coach · bulb · temple · pop · wake · race · present · sharp

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pop — music
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. wake — a trail
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. bulb — for light
  16. sharp — clever
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. present — the time now

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