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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.

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: ground · safe · mouse · fan · bark · pass · cell · march

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. march — music
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. march — the month
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. ground — a position
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. march — the month
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pass — a permit
  24. ground — the earth

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