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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 120 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
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 · mine · can · press · racket · band · bark · cold

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bark — to shout
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cold — an illness
  13. band — a ring
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. press — newspapers
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. press — to push
  18. band — a music group
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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