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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: clip · mark · safe · bark · face · fan · cold · mine

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. face — to confront
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cold — not warm
  5. clip — a video
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mark — a trace
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cold — an illness
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mark — a grade
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. clip — for paper
  24. safe — out of danger

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