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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: mouse · tear · cell · coach · pound · safe · snap · current

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pound — a weight
  6. snap — to click
  7. cell — in biology
  8. current — electric
  9. tear — to rip
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cell — a phone
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. current — happening now
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. current — of water
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mouse — for a computer

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