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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: bear · bowl · mate · chest · spell · safe · bark · craft

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. chest — a box
  6. craft — boats
  7. bear — the animal
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spell — a short time
  21. chest — of your body
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mate — a friend

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