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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 · stock · lean · row · march · root · snap · pitch

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. root — of a word
  3. stock — goods
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. march — the month
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. row — a line
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stock — shares
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pitch — completely
  17. march — music
  18. lean — thin
  19. snap — to click
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. lean — to bend
  23. row — to paddle
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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