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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: bark · safe · kick · track · cabinet · toast · coach · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kick — in football
  8. toast — bread
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. clip — a video
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. clip — for paper
  21. track — a path
  22. bark — to shout
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. kick — with a leg

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