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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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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: bark · game · drill · bear · safe · season · trunk · fan

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. game — a match
  12. drill — army training
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. game — wild animals
  16. season — in sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. season — of the year
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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