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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: safe · date · bark · tear · chip · row · foot · scale

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bark — to shout
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. tear — from crying
  12. row — a line
  13. scale — in music
  14. date — the fruit
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chip — to eat
  24. tear — to rip

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