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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: shower · face · clip · stick · tube · safe · kick · pound

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. kick — in football
  4. face — to confront
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. face — to point toward
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. clip — to cut
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. clip — a video
  22. pound — a weight
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. clip — for paper

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