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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: bear · field · suit · bark · clip · kid · safe · hide

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bark — to shout
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. field — a subject
  9. kid — to tease
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. clip — a video
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. clip — to cut
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — child
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bear — the animal
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — to fit

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