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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mouse · ground · cold · capital · rush · safe · bark · hide

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. capital — a city
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cold — an illness
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. ground — a position
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. ground — crushed

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