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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 120 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 · chest · drill · bark · straw · leaves · hide · temple

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. drill — a practice
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. drill — army training
  8. chest — of your body
  9. drill — the tool
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bark — to shout
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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