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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: stem · trunk · mark · march · root · pass · coach · pound

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. root — of a word
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. march — music
  15. mark — a grade
  16. root — the cause
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pass — a permit
  20. stem — to come from
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pass — to succeed

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