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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: trunk · march · bulb · ground · chair · pitch · coach · fall

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ground — a position
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bulb — for light
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fall — the season
  11. march — music
  12. ground — crushed
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitch — completely
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ground — the earth
  24. march — the month

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