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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mug — a cup
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. vault — a safe
  5. branch — a division
  6. content — happy
  7. capital — a city
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. capital — money
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. content — the amount
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. root — of a plant

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