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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: safe · branch · spring · file · wave · fine · hand · coach

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. spring — the season
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. branch — a division
  5. file — a tool
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. file — a document
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fine — high quality
  11. hand — help
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spring — of water
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. spring — a coil
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. hand — in cards

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