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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: tear · squash · saw · safe · kick · object · clip · band

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. band — a music group
  4. clip — to cut
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. object — to protest
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. band — a ring
  9. saw — the tool
  10. clip — a video
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kick — in football
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tear — to rip
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tear — from crying
  17. squash — the sport
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. object — a thing
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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