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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. plane — a tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mine — for digging
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. row — a line
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bark — to shout
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. season — in sport
  24. bear — the animal

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