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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 116 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: safe · file · coach · wake · plane · pitcher · cell · spring

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. spring — a coil
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. file — a tool
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spring — of water
  8. file — a document
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. spring — the season
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. file — a line of people
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. plane — in geometry

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