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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: cold · file · bark · bound · plane · safe · roll · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cold — not warm
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bark — to shout
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. file — a tool
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. dip — to sink
  17. roll — a cake
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bound — obliged
  21. roll — a list
  22. file — a document
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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