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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 · foot · tear · tube · bowl · current · coach · perch

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. tube — a container
  3. current — electric
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. foot — a measure
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. current — of water
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. tear — from crying
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tear — to rip
  19. perch — the fish
  20. tear — from crying
  21. current — happening now
  22. tube — the underground
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bowl — a football final

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