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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: leaves · shower · bound · safe · kick · capital · coach · mine

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. shower — rain
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. capital — money
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. shower — to wash
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. kick — in football
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. capital — a city
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bound — certain
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. capital — a big letter

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