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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: present · safe · bulb · tube · cabinet · hand · straw · sharp

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. present — there
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. present — the time now
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hand — help
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. tube — a container
  14. present — a gift
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bulb — for light
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tube — the underground
  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