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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. squash — to crush
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. snap — to click
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. squash — the sport
  20. drill — the tool
  21. land — to come down
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. drill — army training

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