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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 116 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: sharp · bark · craft · kid · mouse · wind · safe · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. kid — child
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. craft — boats
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wind — moving air
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wind — moving air
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. sharp — clever
  15. kid — to tease
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. craft — a skill

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