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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: bay · mate · straw · safe · field · bark · bound · tear

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. tear — to rip
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. mate — to breed
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. field — a subject
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bound — tied together
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bark — to shout
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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