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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: present · drill · foot · safe · bark · clip · fine · row

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. present — there
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. clip — a video
  7. bark — to shout
  8. foot — a measure
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. drill — a practice
  11. clip — to cut
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. present — a gift
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. present — the time now
  20. clip — for paper
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

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