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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: bark · fall · cold · safe · prune · mark · rule · suit

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rule — a law
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fall — to drop
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fall — the season
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rule — government
  17. suit — clothes
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. prune — to trim
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fall — to drop

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