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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 124 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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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: last · spring · cabinet · bay · bear · bark · safe · rush

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spring — of water
  10. last — to go on
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rush — hurry
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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