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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: coach · firm · mine · bass · wake · safe · wound · net

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. net — in sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. firm — steady
  10. mine — for digging
  11. net — after costs
  12. firm — a company
  13. bass — the fish
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wake — a trail
  18. net — for catching
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  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