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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.

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: saw · wound · bark · wave · arm · safe · spell · file

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — to shout
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a tool
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. file — a document
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. spell — magic
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. file — a line of people
  24. arm — a part of something

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