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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 120 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: mug · wake · wound · coach · squash · club · bass · safe

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. mug — a cup
  2. bass — low music
  3. club — for golf
  4. mug — a face
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. club — a group
  11. wake — a trail
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wound — an injury
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. squash — the sport
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. club — for dancing
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mug — to rob
  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