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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: clip · tube · tear · fall · safe · sharp · bulb · craft

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. fall — to drop
  4. tear — to rip
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. tube — a container
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bulb — for light
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fall — the season
  23. tear — from crying
  24. safe — out of danger

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