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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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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: cap · fork · bound · kid · bark · wake · bulb · safe

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bound — obliged
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bound — certain
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fork — in a road
  18. kid — child
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fork — a garden tool

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