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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 116 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: perch · safe · mine · coach · bass · spring · club · ground

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. ground — crushed
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spring — of water
  6. mine — for digging
  7. spring — the season
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bass — low music
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bass — the fish
  12. club — for golf
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. spring — a coil
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. ground — a position
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. coach — a trainer

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