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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · bass · bear · mark · bark · hide · field · lean

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bass — the fish
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. field — farmland
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bass — low music
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. field — for sport
  10. lean — thin
  11. mark — a grade
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lean — to bend
  14. field — a subject
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mark — a trace
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bass — the instrument

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