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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: rash · tear · safe · band · clip · firm · chair · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rash — a series
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. clip — a video
  10. firm — steady
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. clip — for paper
  15. tear — to rip
  16. band — a ring
  17. rash — hasty
  18. firm — decided
  19. band — a music group
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. clip — to cut
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bark — to shout
  24. firm — a company

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