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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: cold · deal · bark · bore · safe · foot · snap · trunk

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. foot — a measure
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cold — not warm
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. snap — to click
  20. cold — an illness
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bark — to shout
  24. foot — the bottom

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