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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: safe · staff · craft · current · bark · hide · roll · lean

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. staff — employees
  4. lean — thin
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bark — to shout
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. staff — a stick
  11. current — electric
  12. staff — employees
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. current — happening now
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. roll — a list
  20. craft — boats
  21. lean — to bend
  22. current — of water
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. safe — a strongbox

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