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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: spring · last · band · jam · tube · coach · safe · mate

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mate — a partner
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. last — finally
  6. spring — the season
  7. mate — to breed
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. band — a ring
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. spring — of water
  18. band — a music group
  19. mate — a friend
  20. last — final
  21. tube — a container
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. spring — a coil

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