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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: bark · rock · safe · dip · pitcher · bay · land · kid

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. land — to come down
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rock — music
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rock — a stone
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. kid — child

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