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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 116 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: safe · mine · bark · season · tear · stick · mug · cabinet

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. season — in sport
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mug — a face
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — to rip
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. season — of the year
  19. bark — to shout
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mine — for digging

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