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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: kid · tube · spell · fine · clip · bear · bulb · bound

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bulb — for light
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bound — obliged
  7. clip — to cut
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. spell — letters
  10. fine — all right
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. spell — magic
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fine — high quality
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. kid — child
  24. bound — certain

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