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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: toast · coach · wound · stick · pop · temple · march · bore

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. march — the month
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. toast — bread
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pop — soda
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. march — the month
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pop — music
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. march — music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pop — to visit
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bore — to drill

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