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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: bark · root · racket · land · safe · cold · fan · wound

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wound — an injury
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. land — a country
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. root — of a word
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cold — an illness
  15. land — to come down
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. root — the cause
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. land — ground

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