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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 · ruler · capital · trunk · track · cold · toast · bark

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. track — a path
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. capital — a city
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. track — to keep track
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. track — a song
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cold — an illness
  21. capital — money
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cold — not warm
  24. toast — bread

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