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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: safe · dip · row · spring · rock · kid · capital · coach

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. dip — to sink
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. kid — to tease
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. capital — money
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rock — a stone
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rock — music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. spring — the season
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. capital — a city
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. kid — child

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