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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 · sharp · snap · tube · dip · rule · press · bulb

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rule — a law
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tube — a container
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. press — newspapers
  11. snap — to click
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. bulb — for light
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. tear — from crying
  18. sharp — clever
  19. tube — the underground
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. tear — to rip
  24. dip — a sauce

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