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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.

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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: tear · wake · rule · season · hide · safe · coach · cold

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cold — an illness
  4. season — of the year
  5. wake — a trail
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. tear — from crying
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rule — a law
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rule — government
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. season — in sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rule — to rule out

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