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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 120 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: foot · wound · bark · cabinet · sharp · spell · safe · tube

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. spell — letters
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. sharp — clever
  9. foot — a measure
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. spell — magic
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bark — to shout
  24. tube — a container

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