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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · date · wind · rash · spring · mate · clip · coach

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. clip — a video
  3. mate — to breed
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rash — a series
  6. spring — the season
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mate — a friend
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rash — hasty
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. clip — to cut

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