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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: sharp · cell · spring · coach · wake · fork · safe · fall

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spring — a coil
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spring — the season
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. spring — of water
  17. fall — the season
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wake — a trail
  24. coach — a trainer

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