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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: drill · straw · press · bark · degree · safe · current · sharp

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bark — to shout
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. drill — the tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. current — electric
  10. drill — a practice
  11. press — a publisher
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. sharp — clever
  19. current — of water
  20. degree — an amount
  21. current — happening now
  22. degree — temperature
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. drill — army training

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