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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: bark · fan · cell · file · mine · safe · wave · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. file — a tool
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. file — a document
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cell — a phone
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rush — hurry
  24. safe — out of danger

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