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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: safe · can · jam · arm · capital · bark · foot · perch

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. perch — the fish
  10. can — a tin
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. capital — a city
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bark — to shout
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. can — a tin
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. capital — money

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