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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.

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: safe · cold · bore · scale · mug · bark · chest · tube

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mug — a cup
  7. scale — in music
  8. bore — to tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tube — a container
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mug — to rob
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mug — a face
  16. chest — a box
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. chest — of your body
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bark — to shout
  23. scale — size or range
  24. tube — in a tire

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