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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: roll · press · bark · pitcher · pit · spring · land · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pit — a hole
  6. press — to push
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pit — in a race
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. roll — a list
  15. land — a country
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. land — ground
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. press — a publisher
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. spring — the season
  24. bark — to shout

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