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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 116 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: rash · bulb · march · key · coach · row · land · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. land — ground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. march — music
  5. key — in music
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. ground — a position
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bulb — for light
  11. land — to come down
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. land — a country
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. row — a line
  18. key — for a lock
  19. march — the month
  20. bulb — for light
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — the earth
  24. key — the most important part

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