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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: mouse · spell · coach · tube · safe · firm · degree · row

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. degree — from a university
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spell — letters
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. firm — decided
  14. spell — magic
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. spell — a short time
  20. tube — a container
  21. row — a line
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. firm — a company
  24. row — to paddle

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