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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: rash · pitcher · chest · coach · present · march · root · spring

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. chest — a box
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rash — hasty
  9. root — of a word
  10. spring — the season
  11. present — the time now
  12. march — the month
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. march — the month
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. march — music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rash — a series

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