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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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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 · chair · wind · cell · leaves · shower · bark · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. shower — rain
  9. cell — in biology
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wind — moving air
  12. shower — to wash
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wind — moving air
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. leaves — to go away

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