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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: ground · cap · wound · coach · last · row · fork · safe

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fork — in a road
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wound — an injury
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. row — a line
  19. ground — a position
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. wound — an injury
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. last — finally

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