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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
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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: stand · shower · deal · safe · file · wound · coach · current

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stand — to bear
  7. shower — to wash
  8. current — electric
  9. deal — to handle
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. current — of water
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. file — a document
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. current — happening now

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