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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
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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: wake · prune · race · bulb · cap · coach · degree · ground

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wake — a trail
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. race — a contest
  10. ground — the earth
  11. prune — to trim
  12. degree — from a university
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. ground — a position
  15. cap — of ice
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. race — humankind
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cap — a hat
  24. degree — temperature

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