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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 120 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rest — a break
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cap — a hat
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. track — a song
  13. rest — what's left
  14. track — a path
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bark — to shout
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. spring — of water
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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