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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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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: wake · coach · plane · chest · safe · last · press · snap

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. press — a publisher
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chest — a box
  8. press — newspapers
  9. snap — to click
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chest — of your body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. chest — of your body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. last — finally
  17. wake — a trail
  18. plane — a tool
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. last — final
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. press — to push
  24. last — to go on

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