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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: scale · wind · mine · coach · fine · last · fork · safe

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fine — all right
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. last — to go on
  6. scale — in music
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — finally
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wind — moving air
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. last — final
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fork — in a road

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