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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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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: bear · bat · cell · bark · safe · mine · tear · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cell — in biology
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bat — the animal
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. tear — from crying
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. safe — out of danger

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