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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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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: roll · toast · bark · capital · perch · safe · chest · lash

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. roll — a list
  5. capital — money
  6. chest — of your body
  7. capital — a city
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. perch — the fish
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chest — a box
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. toast — bread
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. safe — out of danger

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