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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: hand · lie · roll · safe · date · spell · mate · bark

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spell — a short time
  3. roll — a cake
  4. spell — letters
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spell — magic
  9. hand — help
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mate — a partner
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bark — to shout

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