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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: bark · leaves · plane · dip · safe · foot · kid · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. dip — to sink
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bark — to shout
  14. kid — to tease
  15. clip — to cut
  16. foot — a measure
  17. kid — child
  18. plane — a tool
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. clip — a video
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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