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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: staff · coach · hand · season · stand · mine · face · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stand — to bear
  3. face — to confront
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. staff — employees
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. face — part of the head
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. staff — employees
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. season — of the year
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. staff — a stick
  22. face — to point toward
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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