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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: wake · root · file · bat · pound · land · coach · safe

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. land — a country
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. file — a document
  10. pound — a weight
  11. root — the cause
  12. land — ground
  13. file — a tool
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. file — a line of people
  17. root — of a plant
  18. land — to come down
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bat — the animal
  24. safe — out of danger

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