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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · hide · spell · club · bass · bark · foot · safe

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. spell — letters
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bass — low music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. club — for golf
  10. spell — magic
  11. club — for dancing
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bark — to shout
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. spell — a short time
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. club — a group
  20. tear — to rip
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. tear — from crying

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