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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.

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: coach · spring · sharp · safe · object · kid · plane · fall

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — a coil
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. object — an aim
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kid — to tease
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. spring — of water
  17. plane — a tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. object — a thing
  20. spring — the season
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fall — the season

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