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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · file · bark · wound · season · safe · net · stand

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wound — an injury
  8. net — in sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bark — to shout
  12. net — for catching
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — in sport
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. season — of the year
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. mate — a partner
  20. net — after costs
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. file — a document

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