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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: safe · coach · swing · spring · tube · board · date · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. swing — to play on
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. spring — the season
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. date — the fruit
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. board — to get on
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. spring — a coil
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. board — a committee
  20. tube — a container
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. tube — the underground
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spring — of water

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